Father Thomas Kottoor (73) and Sister Sephy (57)- two people found guilty of killing teenaged nun Sister Abhaya in 1992 have been sentenced to life imprisonment. A CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram handed the sentence to Sr Abhaya’s killers in a case that took decades to even reach trial and witnessed a strong coterie – aided by powerful people in the church – who tried to change its course.

The prosecution asked judge Sanal Kumar to give maximum punishment to the two convicted of killing the 19-year-old nun and dumping her in a well in 1992. The prosecution told the judge that Kottoor did not live in the convent and the fact that he entered the place exposed his criminal intentions and it was a case of trespass.

Meanwhile, Kottoor’s counsel pleaded that since he is aged and a cancer patient, and therefore he should be given minimum punishment. Kottoor told the judge that he was also a diabetic patient who needed insulin daily. Sister Sephy pleaded to the judge that she was the sole breadwinner for her family. Though both the convicts made their requests to the judge directly, the judge handed life imprisonment to the duo and have asked them to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh each.The two accused have been found guilty despite the fact that several witnesses turned hostile during trial. In fact, key witnesses turning hostile was one of the main challenges faced by the prosecution during the trial, which commenced in August 2019.

  abhaya case