Map of India by way of magnifying glass

New Delhi, India — An Indian courtroom on Tuesday convicted a priest and a nun for the ax homicide of one other convent sister 30 years in the past as a result of they feared their illicit relationship could be made public.

Highlighting the most recent in a collection of intercourse scandals to hit the Roman Catholic church within the southern state of Kerala, prosecutors mentioned they’d search a troublesome sentence for Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy in a listening to on Wednesday.

The homicide solely got here to mild after federal investigators have been known as in due to doubts over native police claims that Sister Abhaya, a member of the Pious X Convent in Kottayam, had dedicated suicide.

The 18-year-old nun’s physique was present in a nicely within the convent in 1992.

Prosecutors informed the Central Bureau of Investigation courtroom that the nun was killed after discovering Sister Sephy with Kottoor and one other priest in a “compromising position” in a convent kitchen. Fearing they’d be given away, the 2 defendants killed Abhaya with an ax and threw her physique into the nicely.

The courtroom discovered Kottoor and Sephy responsible of homicide. Charges towards one other priest, Jose Poothrikkayil, have been dismissed in 2018 for lack of proof.

The Catholic church in Kerala has confronted quite a lot of scandals lately, together with allegations of rape, abuse of nuns and clergymen fathering kids. The church has been accused of making an attempt to affect circumstances.

Three inquiries into Sister Abhaya’s loss of life that mentioned the homicide couldn’t be proved or the killers couldn’t be recognized have been rejected by courts. Kottoor and Sephy have been solely lastly arrested in 2008.

“Justice was delayed but it has been done,” a CBI prosecutor informed AFP, talking on situation of anonymity. “We are going to press for a tough sentence because it is the rarest of rare cases.”