Home » News » 28 years of mystery; Asylum Case History | Sister Abhaya Murder Case

28 years of mystery; Asylum Case History | Sister Abhaya Murder Case

March 27, 1992: Sister Abhaya, 2nd year undergraduate student of BCM College, Kottayam and daughter of Uzhavoor Arikkara Ikkarakkunnel Thomas and Leelamma, was found dead in a well at Kottayam Piast Tent Convent premises.

April 14, 1992: Case investigated by Crime Branch.

January 30, 1993: Abhaya’s death is a crime.

February 1993: Abhaya Action Council in the High Court questioning the Crime Branch report. The case needs to be handed over to the CBI.

March 28, 1993: Case taken over by CBI. DySP Varghese P. Thomas is in charge of the investigation.

March 7, 1994: Varghese P. Thomas resigns from the service, alleging that CBI SP V. Thyagarajan asked him to report that Abhaya had committed suicide.

March 1994: Abhaya’s father files a petition in the High Court seeking to have Thyagarajan replaced.

June 1994: A special CBI team led by the Joint Director is tasked with investigating.

April 1995: Forensic tests and dummy tests as part of the investigation. Forensic experts report murder to CBI

1996 6December 6: CBI files case in Ernakulam CJM court. The CBI said it could not find out whether it was suicide or murder.

March 20, 1997: CJM court directs CBI to re-investigate the case honestly.

July 12, 1999: CBI declares murder. The CBI told the court that the accused could not be apprehended as the police had destroyed all the evidence and the case should be closed.

June 23, 2000: CJM court orders appointment of new team.

August 16, 2001: An eight-member team led by DIG Nandakumar Kishore arrives in Kottayam.

August 30, 2005: The CBI again finds that no one was involved in Abhaya’s unnatural death and should be allowed to close the case.

August 21, 2006: CJM court denies permission to CBI.

June 2007: Criticism of the CBI by the court. CBI Director Vijay Shankar is directly involved in the case. New team to investigate.

September 4, 2007: Fr. Thomas Kottur, Fr. Jose Puthrikayil and Sister Sefi are undergoing narco-analysis in Bangalore.

July 9, 2008: SP RM Krishna relocated to Lucknow. RS Punia New SP

August 2008: Court finds forgery of narco-analysis CD. Bangalore Forensic Lab directed to produce original CD Inquiry again to SP Krishna.

August 19, 2008: CBI tells High Court that evidence is not enough to arrest the accused.

September 4, 2008: High Court orders transfer of CBI probe from Delhi unit to Kochi unit.

October 27, 2008: Case transferred to CBI Kochi unit. DySP Nandakumar Nair is the investigating officer.

November 18, 19, 2008: Fr. Thomas Kottur, Fr. Jose Puthrikayil and Sister Sefi are arrested.

November 25, 2008: ASI Augustine, killed by Inquest.

2008 2December 2: The CBI in the Ernakulam CJM court said that Sister Abhaya was beaten to death with an ax and thrown into a well by 3 arrested accused.

January 1, 2009: Defendants granted bail. The High Court ruled that the CBI investigation had gone awry and that the probe should continue only under the supervision of a senior official.

March 12, 2009: The Division Bench of the High Court terminates the observation of the case. The supervision of the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate will continue.

July 17, 2009: CBI charges Fr. Thomas Kottur, Fr. Jose Puthrikayil and Sister Sefi as first, second and third accused. The fourth accused in the death was former ASI VV. August was omitted.

May 31, 2011: Chief Chemical Examiner, R., was convicted of falsifying the chemical test report of Abhaya’s internal organs. Geeta, Analyst M.Sc. Chargesheet against Chitra Both were questioned by the CBI in the case. The CJM court later acquitted the two.

January 22, 2018: A CBI court has indicted KT Michael, a former SP of the Crime Branch, for conspiracy to conspire to destroy evidence in the case.

March 7, 2018: CBI court acquits second accused Fr. Jose Puthrikail. The other two defendants, Fr. Thomas Kottur and Sister Sefi, are facing trial.

April 9, 2019: The first accused in the Sister Abhaya case, Fr. Thomas Kottur and third accused Sister Sefi to face trial The second accused, Fr. Jose will not face trial in Puthrika. Former SP: KT Michael was also dropped from the list of defendants.

July 15, 2019: The Supreme Court rejects special petitions filed by Fr.

August 26, 2019: The trial of the first and third accused begins in the CBI court.

November 18, 2019: The final argument in the case begins

December 10, 2020: Argument completed.

December 22, 2020: Conviction of both defendants

English Summary: Sister Abhaya Murder Case – timeline

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