By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD
There are times when I think that I have told a story fully and that there is nothing else to talk about it when some most unexpected developments nudge me to go on and tell some more! This is the situation that I am now in because of the overwhelming feedback that I have been receiving in response to my last article about the bank robbery in Mysuru, sixteen years ago.
The first person to call me was KBG himself which is not one bit surprising, because being the man at the top of the editorial ladder, he is the third person after me, to read the final draft of any article that I write. Now if you are wondering who the second person in this hierarchy is, it is my wife as she goes over all my weekly writings with a fine-toothed comb!
Thiruvananthapuram: A petty thief who does not mind admitting to his little acts of infractions has emerged a star in Kerala after his key role in stoutly defending his witness statement in the nearly 29-year-old Sr Abhaya murder case.
During the days in 1992 when Sr Abhaya was a novitiate nun at the St Pious X Convent in Kottayam, K. Raju was an odd-jobs man who went about some petty thefts, too, on the side to make a living.
Raju, who goes by the name ‘Adakka’ Raju (Adakka is Malayalam for areca nut, as well as for trivial or small), was admittedly at the convent on the morning of the murder with the intention of some petty theft when he saw the two accused priests in the case there.
Life sentence for Fr Thomas Kottoor, Sister Sephy in sensational Sr Abhaya murder case
Fr Kotoor was imposed fine for murder, destruction of evidence and tresspassing while Sr Sephy was imposed fine for murder and destruction of evidence.
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Fr Thomas Kottoor (L) and Sr Sephy were found guilty by the special CBI Court in Thiruvananthapuram. (Photo| Vincent Pulickal, EPS) By Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CBI Special Court has awarded life sentence to Fr Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy in the sensational Sister Abhaya murder case. The Court has also imposed a fine of Rs six-and-a-half lakh on Kottoor and five lakh on Sephy. Fr Kotoor was imposed fine for murder, destruction of evidence and tresspassing while Sr Sephy was imposed fine for murder and destruction of evidence.
Justice looked unlikely in the Abhaya case, and the convictions come as a relief
The verdict of a special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram sentencing to life a former Catholic vicar, Thomas Kottoor, and a nun, Sister Sephy, upon finding them guilty of murdering a 21-year-old novitiate, Abhaya, at a convent in Kottayam, marks a welcome outcome to a long and tortuous investigation and prosecution process. It spells a modicum of relief to the lone surviving kin of Abhaya, her brother, and to those who kept an unflinching faith in the justice system. It was in 1992 that Sr. Abhaya, a pre-degree student, was found dead in a well at the St. Pius X Convent hostel where she was an inmate. The police and the Crime Branch hurriedly concluded it as a case of suicide. But a people’s action council led by activist Jomon Puthenpurackal sought judicial intervention, which resulted in the CBI taking over the investigation in 1993.
Timeline: Verdict in 1992 Sister Abhaya murder case today hindustantimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hindustantimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.