Fr Kottoor, Sr Sephy should face trial in Sr Abhaya murder case, says High Court

Kochi: The High Court on Tuesday ordered that Fr. Thomas Kottoor and Sr. Sephy should face trial in the Sr. Abhaya murder case. The court rejected the petitions filed by Fr. Kottoor and Sr. Sephy, the first and third accused respectively, to relieve them from the case.

The court, however, upheld the discharge of Fr. Jose Puthrukkayil, the second accused, by the CBI special court in Thiruvananthapuarm. The CBI court had earlier dismissed the petitions filed by Fr. Kottoor and Sr. Sephy. The High Court also removed K.T. Michael, former DySP of Crime Branch, from the list of the accused. It said that at present there was no evidence against Michael. In case of any fresh evidence against him being gathered, charges could be filed against him. Michael is mainly facing charges of destroying the evidence in the incident.

Sr. Abhaya, inmate of Pius X Convent, Kottayam, was found dead in the well of the convent on March 27, 1992.

The local police and the Crime Branch closed the incident as a case of suicide before a CBI investigation nailed it as a case of murder. The CBI arrested two priests and a nun on November 19, 2008. The CBI filed chargesheet against three of them for murder and destruction of evidence on July 9, 2009.

The accused have been delaying the trial by filing a series of petitions in various courts.

The first and the third accused are likely to approach the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict again delaying the trial.