Sister Abhaya murder case: Kerala High Court suspends life sentence of priest, nun
The Kerala High Court on Thursday suspended the life sentence given to Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy in connection to a 1992 murder of a nun, The Hindu reported.
Sister Abhaya was found dead in a well in St Pius X Convent in Kottayam on March 27, 1992, at the age of 18. Kottoor and Sephy were sentenced to life imprisonment by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in December 2020.
A division bench of Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice C Jayachandran also granted bail to the two convicts on a bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties, according to Live Law.
The court has also asked Kottoor and Sephy to not leave Kerala without permission. They will also have to appear before a station house officer on every Saturday for the next six months, and every second Saturday thereafter.
Advocate B Raman Pillai, appearing on behalf of Kottoor, had told the court that the sentence awarded to his client was “improper and incorrect”, according to The Hindu.
“The conviction and sentence were based on the evidence given by three unreliable witnesses,” Pillai had told the court. “Besides, the verdict was based on an unfounded story. There was nothing on record to show that the injuries found on Abhaya’s body were inflicted by...