In a reaction that is perhaps not unexpected, the Knanaya Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam has said that the allegations against Father Joseph Kottoor and Sister Sephy are beyond belief. Father Joseph Kottoor and Sister Sephy were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram, for murdering 21-year-old Sister Abhaya in 1992. Reacting to the verdict, a statement by the church PRO said, “The charges against the duo are beyond belief. However, the church respects the court order. The convicted have all rights to appeal against the judgment and prove their innocence. The arch diocese is saddened and regrets the course of events.”
Sister Abhaya, and the two convicted people were part of the same archdiocese. Sister Abhaya was a second-year pre-degree student at BCM College for Women in Kottayam. Father Thomas Kottoor, was Sister Abhaya’s teacher, who taught psychology at the college and Sister Sephy was an inmate at the convent. Over the years, the church has consistently supported the accused in the case and rejected every accusation against them. Many witnesses have come forward and spoken about how the church has tried to influence them directly or indirectly.
Despite criticism, the church also retained Sephy and Kottoor and through these years, the duo have worked in institutions connected with the church. In fact, Sister Sephy continued to work in the same convent under various roles, while Father Kottoor was promoted and was serving in key positions in the arch diocese.
The church has also been accused of thwarting the probe using police officers. The Crime Branch in Kerala had concluced that the death was a suicide, and a police officer called KT Micheal was at the forefront of spreading this theory.
Here is an interview KT Micheal gave way back in 1994 in which he categorically said that Sister Abhaya died by suicide.