The High Court has granted bail to Father Thomas Kottur and Sister Sefi, accused in the Abhaya murder case. The court stayed the execution of both. Defendants had approached the High Court for bail after the trial court delayed considering the appeal against the verdict.
The High Court granted bail to Father Thomas Kottur and Sister Sefi, citing the prosecution’s inability to effectively defend the arguments raised by the accused in the bail application. The High Court stayed the execution of the sentence until it was decided on the appeal filed by the accused against the trial court verdict. Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice C.S. A division bench of the high court comprising Justice Jayachandran granted bail to the accused.
The accused have to pay a bond of Rs 5 lakh each. He is not allowed to leave the state without the permission of the court. He has to report to the police station every Saturday for up to six months after being granted bail. The order also said that the sentence would not be included in the sentence until the appeal is decided. Thiruvananthapuram: A special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram has convicted the accused in the murder of Sister Abhaya on December 23, 2020. Father Thomas Kottur was sentenced to double life imprisonment and Sister Sefiq to life imprisonment. The High Court is considering an appeal filed by the accused seeking quashing of the sentence.
