Father Thomas Kotoor and Sister Sephy were sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday by the Special Court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the murder of Sister Abhaya, who was found dead in a well at the Knanaya Catholic Order Pious X Convent in Kottayam in March 1992.
Both were convicted under the Indian Penal Code, Section 302 (murder). Thomas Kotoor, the main accused, will have to suffer double life-term trespassing in the convent (Section 449), but he could face both sentences simultaneously, the court said.
In addition, the two convicts will have to face seven-year imprisonment for destroying evidence (Section 201) and each will have to pay a fine of Rs five lakh. The court on Tuesday held them guilty.
Earlier, Thomas Kotoor, the key accused, told the court that he was seeking cancer treatment and begged for less punishment. Sister Sephy was also seeking commutation, but the prosecutor objected to their claim that they deserved no sympathy.
Initially, the murder of 19-year-old Sister Abhaya was dismissed by the State Police and Crime Branch as a suicide, but later the CBI concluded that it was a murder. The CBI charge-sheeted Kottoor and Sefi in 2009. But the case witnessed a variety of twists.
According to the CBI charge-sheet, Abhaya got up early to study on the day of her death and went into the kitchen to wash her face. The charge-sheet claimed that she had seen some sexual activity involving the two priests and nuns and was killed because they were afraid she could expose what she had seen.
The CBI reported that she was first struck with an ax and then dumped in the well. While the case in Kerala created a sensation, the church stood by the accused, saying that the accused were innocent.
“I am the happiest man today. Both got what they deserved. It is time for the church to do an introspection whether they should shield people like them or not,” said activist Jomon Puthanpurackkal, who took up the case and fought a long legal battle.
