New Delhi: After 28 years, the special CBI court delivered its verdict over the murder of Sister Abhaya by Father Thomas Kottoor, who was a Vicar and taught Sister Abhaya psychology at Kottayam's BCM College and, Sister Sephy who stayed in the same hostel as Sister Abhaya and was de facto in charge of the hostel who has now been found guilty under the Sections 302 (Murder) and Section 449 (House-trespass in order to commit offense punishable with death) of the Indian Penal Code. The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on December 23

Sister Abhaya was a 21-year-old nun who was murdered and her body was dumped inside the well of a convent in Kottayam in 1992.

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What had happened?
Sister Abhaya was found dead in the well of Pious Xth Convent in the Kottayam district of Kerala and it was initially thought to be a case of suicide. In 1993, the case was taken over by CBI, according to whom, Sister Abhaya was witness to intimate contacts between Father Thomas Kottoor, another Father, Jose Poothrikkayil, and Sister Sephy on March 27, 1992 as she went from her hostel room to the kitchen at around 4.15 AM. Two years ago, Poothrikkayil, one of those initially accused, was acquitted by a special CBI court. Allegedly, between 4:15 AM and 5 AM, the accused hit Sister Abhaya with a blunt object and threw her body into the well to cover-up the crime.
In 2008, Fifteen years after the CBI took over the case, the priests and the nun were arrested.

Witness accounts
The strongest evidence the investigators had was the statements given by witnesses. Hostel inmates searched for her in the morning and later found her footwear in the kitchen near the fridge.  According to media reports, another key witness was 'Adakka' Raju, a thief who had entered to rob the hostel. In his statement, prime witness Raju told the CBI that he saw two priests - Thomas M Kottoor (first accused) and Jose Poothrikkayil (second accused who was later discharged from the case) - climbing the stairway at the rear side of the convent.

Twists and turns during the investigation

The investigation of the case faced a lot of hurdles.  Initially, the local police and then the crime branch team that investigated the case had concluded that it was a case of suicide. But there were allegations of tampering of evidence and the public raised their voice for proper investigation. The CBI reopened the investigation of the case in 2008. And the trial in the case began on August 26 in 2019. Many witnesses in the case also turned hostile.

According to the prosecution, Abhaya was attacked with the handle of an axe because she was witness to some alleged immoral activity involving the three accused. A report by PTI says that Abhaya's parents Thomas and Leelamma passed away a few years ago awaiting justice for their daughter.