Abhaya murder case verdict a closure, but not justice

The verdict in Kerala’s sensational Abhaya murder case is being hailed as a triumph of justice. It’s a fact that the case survived multiple botched investigations, some forceful cover-up attempts and serious legal challenges spanning courts at various levels to finally culminate in the conviction of a priest and a nun. But it also took 28 long years.

While it’s indeed a victory for those who fought hard and relentlessly to bring out the truth, the long delay is a sad reflection on the criminal justice system. It’s a case where almost the entire system conspired against the truth, save a few individuals—some activists, investigators and judges—who ensured that truth, ultimately, prevailed.

The special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram that held Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment for the 1992 murder also pointed out some of these manipulations. While the initial police investigation after Sister Abhaya, a novice of the Knanaya Catholic Church, was found dead in the well of her convent in Kottayam and the subsequent crime branch probe hurriedly concluded that it was a case of suicide, the CBI teams that stepped in later too failed to make any headway.

It was only after courts rejected repeated attempts to close the case as unproven that the CBI made the breakthrough. Even then, though the charge sheet was filed in 2009, the trial could begin only 10 years later because of the many legal battles that went on. 

No effort was spared to thwart justice in the case and those who wanted to protect the accused tried to bend the system to their will—and almost succeeded. Police were allowed to destroy evidence and a CBI investigator who initially pursued the murder angle was forced into retirement. Many witnesses turned hostile. But some stood their ground—one of them a former thief.

An activist continued his pursuit for justice despite being shunned by family and facing murder attempts. 
Some investigators did their job and a judge delivered the verdict. After almost three decades, the Abhaya verdict is more of a closure to a long-drawn case than justice.