Thiruvananthapuram: A CBI court here on Tuesday found a catholic priest and a nun guilty in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Sister Abhaya, whose body was found in the well of a convent in Kottayam in 1992.
The verdict in this regard was pronounced by CBI special court judge J Sanal Kumar.
The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Wednesday.
The court said the murder charges against Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy guilty will stand. Both are in judicial custody.
Another accused in the case, Fr Poothrakayal was discharged earlier over lack of evidence.
The judgement comes 28 years after the young nun was found dead in the well of St Pius convent, where she stayed.
Abhaya's parents Thomas and Leelamma passed away few years ago awaiting justice for their daughter.
First local police and then crime branch investigated and concluded that it was a case of suicide.
The CBI took over the investigation of the case in 2008.
The trial in the case began on August 26 last year and many witnesses had turned hostile.
According to prosecution, Abhaya was attacked with the handle of an axe because she was witness to some alleged immoral activity involving the three accused.
A brief timeline of the case so far:
1992 March 27: Sister Abhaya’s dead body was found in the water well at St Pius Convent in Kottayam under mysterious circumstances
1992 April 14: Local Police hand over the case to the Crime Branch after 17 days of investigations
1993 January 30: Crime Branch files closure report at Kottayam RDO Court as death by suicide after completing their investigation
1993 March 29: High Court directs CBI to take over the case investigation based on a plea from Abhaya Action Council
1996 December 6: CBI files plea with Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court seeking to write off the case
1997 March 20: Ernakulam CJM Court orders for further investigation in the case
1999 July 12: CBI concluded that Sister Abhaya’s death was a homicide and not a suicide
2000 June 23: Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court orders for reinvestigation of Abhaya case with a fresh investigation team
2005 August 30: CBI files plea at the CJM Court, Ernakulam seeking closure of the case for the third time
2007 May 22: Thiruvananthapuram CJM Court clarifies that manipulation has been found in the Forensic report
2008 September 4: The case was transferred to Kochi CBI Unit from Delhi CBI Unit.
2008 November 18: CBI arrested 3 accused persons, 16 years after Sister Abhaya died
2009 July 17: CBI Deputy Superintendent of Police Nandakumaran Nair, files charge sheet at Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court 2011 March 16: Accused persons submit bail plea with Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court
2015 June 30: Report filed at Thiruvananthapuram CBI Court listing former Crime Branch Dy SP K Samuel, who had initially investigated Abhaya case, as accused
2018 January 22: Crime Branch’s former Superintendent of Police K T Micheal listed as fourth accused in the case of destroying evidence in Sister Abhaya Case
2018 March 7: CBI Court rejects bail pleas of first and third accused and second accused gets acquitted without trial
2019 August 5: Thiruvananthapuram CBI Special Court Judge read out the charge sheet to the accused
2019 August 26: The trial in Sister Abhaya case commence at Thiruvananthapuram CBI Special Court, 27 years after her death
2020 December 10: The court completes trial in Sister Abhaya murder case
2020 December 22: CBI Court finds priest and nun guilty of murder after 28 years
