Kochi : The High Court annulled sentencing in 1992 Abhaya Case and allowed bail for the two convicts Fr. Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy - the first and third accused in the case. The pair are being released based on their plea to suspend their conviction. Fr. Kottoor and Sr. Sephy and will have to furnish a bond of Rs 5 lakh each. Bail conditions state, they must not leave the State or get involved in any criminal offence while out free.
The story so far : In Kerala’s longest investigated case, the culprits were sentenced to two life imprisonments for the crime dating 32 years.
On the morning of 27 March 1992, sister Abhava was awake studying for exams and went into the convent kitchen to have some water. As the day broke, convent members found her misisng. A brief search ensued. The fridge lay open in the kitchen. One of her slippers was found under the fridge and the other close to a well in the compound indicating Abhaya struggled for her life. Later, Abhaya’s lifeless body would be found inside that well. The postmortem revealed abrasions to shoulder and lacerations behind her ear and yet the cause of death was marked as drowning. Popular pressure forced authorities to reopen the case and it was transferred to CBI which conducted 2 investigations upon court not accepting its theories. Later in 2021 Thomas Kottoor and Sephy were found guilty of murdering Abhaya who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time that made her a witness to sexual liaison of her seniors.
