Sister Abhaya murder case: Fifth witness turns hostile, objects to questions asked

As the witness examination in the Sister Abhaya murder case continues at the CBI special court in Thiruvananthapuram, one more witness turned hostile on Monday. Sr Annie John, the Superior General of St Joseph’s Congregation, has denied that she saw Sr Abhaya's footwear and her veil in the kitchen on the day of her murder.

Initially, Annie John refused to answer the few questions posed by the prosecution, which is when the court reportedly directed her to respond. She objected, saying that she cannot be asked ‘such kind of questions’ and the court then asked to reply with a yes or no, said a senior lawyer associated with the case told TNM.

“For some questions, she remained silent without answering,” he said. Annie John is the fifth witness to turn hostile among the 12 witnesses who have been examined so far.

However, the CBI prosecutor told TNM that through the cross-questioning, the court may have realised that Annie John was lying. He also said that prosecution is expecting one more witness to turn hostile, but that will not affect the case.

"In the next phase, we will be examining the medical practitioners and the scientific evidence. In that case, these witnesses turning hostile will not be affected," the lawyer said.

Previously, another key witness in the case, Sr Anupama, had turned hostile. She had earlier given a statement similar to Sr Annie John, that she saw abandoned slippers and veil in the kitchen, which indicated a struggle. She had also told CBI earlier that she heard strange voices from the kitchen on that fateful night in 1992. However, during the trial on August 26, 2019, she denied all her statements and said she did not remember anything. 

One of the prime witnesses, Sanju P Mathew, had also turned hostile. Sanju, who lived near Sr Abhaya's convent (Pius X Convent), had testified earlier that he used to see the first accused Fr Thomas Kottoor and Fr Jose Puthrukkayil (later, he was discharged from the case) coming out of the convent at odd hours in the night.

Sr Sudeepa and Accamma were other two witnesses who also turned hostile.

Since all the witnesses who turned hostile are associated with a church or a convent, there were reports that the prosecution will seek the court's permission to introduce the Bible in the court for the oath-taking before commencing the procedure. However, the advocate denied the report and said that such methods are unethical.

"There were such suggestions but I will not do it. No religious texts will be used. There are better ways to prove the truth," he said.

In 2012, some of the nuns, including Sr Annie John, had filed a petition with the High Court, alleging that CBI harassed them over the investigation.

Sr Abhaya was murdered 27 years ago. The CBI chargesheet says that she was murdered after she saw the two priests and a nun in an objectionable circumstance.

Also read: What does justice mean for a teenaged nun killed 27 years ago in Kerala?