Thiruvananthapuram: The trial in the sensational Sister Abhaya murder case is on here at the Special CBI Court and cross-examinations of crucial witnesses are now under way.
On Saturday, witness no. 14, a former fireman named Vamadevan, stated that the then Mother Superior at Pious X Convent had told him Sister Abhaya had slipped and fell into the well. He had arrived there as part of the Fire Force team to extricate Sister Abhaya's body from the well of the hostel where she was staying.
Abhaya was found dead in the well at Pious X Convent Hostel in Kottayam town on March 27, 1992. Abhaya was a pre-degree student at the nearby BCM College then. Local police had stated that the nun had committed suicide, but a CBI probe later concluded that Abhaya was murdered.
The team reached the spot at 8:30am that day after receiving information from the Kottayam West Police station and the convent. The call has been registered in the diary at the fire station. The Mother Superior had said the nun had slipped and fallen into the well as she tried to fix the motor in it, Vamadevan, former assistant fire officer, told the court.
Then ASI V V Agustin too was at the scene. Assistant fireman Gopinatha Pillai had retrieved the body from the well. Sister Abhaya wore a nightie only, he added.
Answering to the prosecutor, Vamadevan had said he did not notice if the body had bruises. He answered in the negative to the queries if more evidence was searched for in the well and whether ASI Agustin had asked to look for them.
Vamadevan’s cross examination is over.
The court agreed to the prosecution’s request not to examine witness 15 and 16 – K N Rajappan and A P Jayakumar – two other firemen, since Vamadevan’s response provided the necessary clarity.
Police constable M M Thomas’s cross examination was also completed yesterday. He had told the court that ASI Agustin had asked him to make changes in the first inquest report.
Eyewitness Raju (Adaykka Raju) on Tuesday made a crucial statement that he had seen Father Thomas Kottoor and Jose Puthrikkayil at the convent on the fateful day. He claimed that the Crime Branch had offered him money and presents.
Accused no. 7 Kalarcode Venugopalan Nair could be examined tomorrow.
The CBI has included 177 witnesses in the chargesheet made after a two-stage probe. Earlier this week, two witnesses had turned hostile.
Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy are the accused in the case. Father Jose Puthrikkayil and former SP KT Michael were excluded from the proceedings for lack of evidence.
Early hearing
The CBI Court has asked the lawyers in the case if the daily procedures could be advanced by an hour. The special court now convenes at 11 and the case is heard every weekday.
