Prime witness 'Adakka' Raju, whose statement turned out to be a crucial evidence, said he was extremely happy that 'my child got justice', while Abhaya Case Action Council convenor Jomon Puthenpurackal said truth can never be sabotaged. On Tuesday, Special CBI Judge K Sanal Kumar, while pronouncing the verdict, said the murder charges against Fr Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy of the Catholic Church will stand. The duo were subsequently taken into custody.

The statement of Raju, a then petty thief who had entered the convent to steal something on the day of the crime, was crucial in ensuring justice in the case. The court held Kottoor and Sephy guilty of murder under Sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 201 (tampering of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. It also found Kottoor guilty of criminal trespass.

It will pronounce the quantum of sentence on Wednesday. The accused, who were on bail, were taken into judicial custody after the mandatory COVID-19 testing.

Father Kottoor was shifted to the Poojapura Central jail and Sister Sephy, to the Attakulangara women's prison here. The order came in connection with the controversial death of 21-year-old Abhaya, whose body was found in the well of St Pius convent on March 27, 1992. She was a second year student of BCM college, Kottayam and staying at the convent.

Another accused in the case, Fr Jose Puthrikkayil, was discharged earlier due to lack of evidence. While the local police probed the case initially, the state crime branch, which took over the investigation later concluded that Abhaya had committed suicide.

The CBI, which took over probe on March 29, 1993, filed three closure reports, saying that though it was a case of murder, the culprits could not be found. However, the agency had to face the ire of the Kerala High Court later over the handling of the case, with the court saying it was 'still a prisoner of those who wield political and bureaucratic power' and directed that the Delhi unit hand over the probe to its Kochi counterpart.

Following this, the CBI arrested Kottoor, Poothrikkayil and Sephy on the charge of murder later that year. According to the prosecution, Kottoor and Poothrikkayil were allegedly having an illicit relationship with Sephy, also an inmate of the convent.

On the night of March 27, 1992, Abhaya allegedly saw Kottoor and Sephy in a compromising position, following which the three hacked her with an axe and threw her into the well, it had said in its charge sheet. The accused were arrested in 2008 and released on bail by the Kerala High Court a year later.

On Tuesday, Sister Sephy refused to talk to the media after the verdict, while Fr Kottoor claimed he was innocent. 'I am innocent. I have done no wrong. God is with me. I will proceed as per God's plans', he said.

Abhaya's parents Thomas and Leelamma died a few years ago, waiting in vain for justice for their daughter. Her brother Biju Thomas, who is currently abroad, said he was happy with the verdict.

"I see God's intervention in the verdict" he told TV channels and alleged that due to 'pressure' from the church and political leaders, justice was delayed in the case. During the course of the trial, which began in August 26 last year, many prosecution witnesses had turned hostile.

Raju, a petty thief who had gone to the convent on that fateful day to steal something, had told the court he had seen the two priests at the convent in the wee hours. He stuck by his words throughout the period of the trial.

Raju, who is staying in a small house in a colony of poor people, claimed crores of rupees were offered to him for changing his statements during the trial. Calling Abhaya as his child, he said ensuring justice for the nun was his great wish.

"I did not accept a coin. I still live in this colony. I am extremely happy because my child has got justice today," Raju told reporters in Kottayam. Then CBI DySP Varghese P Thomas,who had first established through his probe in 1993 that it was a murder, said his stand had been vindicated.

An emotional Thomas, who spoke about the troubles he had to face during the course of the investigation, had taken voluntary retirement in protest against the pressure exerted on him to submit a closure report concluding it was a case of suicide. "My stand has been vindicated. This is the victory of truth. I stood for truth. The verdict is a prize for standing for truth," Thomas said.

Puthenpurackal said it had been proved that no one can sabotage truth using their money power and political influence. "This is a verdict with God's own signature on it," he said.