Abhaya murder case: Parole granted to convicted priest and nun

Parole granted to a priest and a nun convicted in the Sister Abhaya murder case of Kerala is becoming controversial as it was suspected that the parole was granted to the influential convicts under the cover of measures to decongest prisons during Covid-19.

The Kerala High Court on Monday issued notice to the Kerala government and the Prison Authorities on the matter based on a petition filed by human rights activist Jomon Puthenpurackal, who has been pursuing the Abhaya murder case for nearly three decades.

Sister Abhaya was found dead in the well of St Pious X convent in Kottayam district in 1992 and the accused Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy were convicted to a life term in December 2020- 28 years after the murder.

In May this year, the two were granted 90 days parole by the Director-General of Prions. After the matter became controversial, the prison authorities maintained that the parole was granted as per the recommendation of a high power committee set up as per Supreme Court direction to decongest prisons in view of Covid-19. But the committee clarified that it did not recommend parole to life-term convicts and the parole to the two were granted as per the order of the state government. Subsequently, Puthenpurackal approached the High Court urging that the parole to the two should be cancelled.

The fresh row has triggered allegations that the two convicts managed to get parole owing to the influence of the church on the government.

Despite several attempts to scuttle the probe, the CBI proved that Abhaya, who was a second-year pre-degree student of Kottayam BCM College, happened to see the accused in a compromising position when she came to the kitchen to drink water during the late hours. Subsequently, she was murdered by hitting using an axe and her body was dumped in the well of the convent.