Priests, nun receives chargesheet in Abhaya murder case

All the three accused in Sister Abhaya murder case Tuesday received copies of their chargesheet from the Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Kochi.

The CBI had filed the chargesheet against the accused - Father Thomas M Kottur, Jose Puthrikayil and Sister Sephy - last month.

They have been charged under section 302 (murder), section 201 (destruction of evidence) and 499 (defamation). The chargesheet cites 133 witnesses, 67 documents and 7 Material Objects.

Apart from the two priests and a nun, the chargesheet also names former sub-inspector V.V. Augustine for destroying crucial evidence. The charges, however, were dropped after he was found dead on November 25 last year.

The Bureau alleges that one of the priests bludgeoned Sister Abhaya to death after which the trio dumped her body in the convent well on March 27, 1992.

In the formal document of accusation, they also alleged that witnessing her superiors in a compromising position proved fatal for Sister Abhaya, who was 18 years old at the time of her death.

Sister Abhaya was found murdered at St Pius convent at Kottayam in March 1992. The staff Convent staff discovered her body in the convent's well the next day.

Initial investigations in the case by the local police and crime branch led to the conclusion as a case of suicide. Protests by the action council and a petition by the nuns of the congregation led to reinvestigation by the CBI.

Though CBI concluded that Abhaya was murdered, they requested closure of the case for want of evidence. The request for closure was rejected by the courts.