The Sister Abhaya Case is a case regarding the death of a Knanaya Roman Catholic nun, who was found dead in a water well in St Pius X convent in Kottayam, India, on 27 March 1992. She was 19 years old at the time of her death and was a member of St. Joseph's Congregation for women under the Knanaya Catholic diocese of Kottayam, Kerala in India. She was a pre-degree student of BCM College, Kottayam and was staying in St Pius X Convent/Hostel at the time of her death. On the day of her death she got up from sleep early at around 4 am to study for her exam, had gone down to the kitchen of the hostel to get water from the refrigerator. Later her body was found in the well outside the kitchen in the convent/hostel compound.
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| - The Sister Abhaya Case is a case regarding the death of a Knanaya Roman Catholic nun, who was found dead in a water well in St Pius X convent in Kottayam, India, on 27 March 1992. She was 19 years old at the time of her death and was a member of St. Joseph's Congregation for women under the Knanaya Catholic diocese of Kottayam, Kerala in India. She was a pre-degree student of BCM College, Kottayam and was staying in St Pius X Convent/Hostel at the time of her death. On the day of her death she got up from sleep early at around 4 am to study for her exam, had gone down to the kitchen of the hostel to get water from the refrigerator. Later her body was found in the well outside the kitchen in the convent/hostel compound.
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| - The Sister Abhaya Case is a case regarding the death of a Knanaya Roman Catholic nun, who was found dead in a water well in St Pius X convent in Kottayam, India, on 27 March 1992. She was 19 years old at the time of her death and was a member of St. Joseph's Congregation for women under the Knanaya Catholic diocese of Kottayam, Kerala in India. She was a pre-degree student of BCM College, Kottayam and was staying in St Pius X Convent/Hostel at the time of her death. On the day of her death she got up from sleep early at around 4 am to study for her exam, had gone down to the kitchen of the hostel to get water from the refrigerator. Later her body was found in the well outside the kitchen in the convent/hostel compound. In October 2009, Sister Abhaya's father wrote letters to the Chief Justice of India and President of India alleging that Justice Cyriac Joseph of the Supreme Court was trying to destroy evidence relating to the case. Initially the local police crime branch concluded that the death was a result of suicide. Protests by the action council and a petition by the nuns of the congregation led to reinvestigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Though CBI concluded that Abhaya was murdered, they requested closure of the case for want of evidence. The request for closure was rejected by the courts. It was only after 16 years that they made the first arrests in the case. On 19 November 2008, two priests of the Kottayam Knanaya Catholic Diocese and a nun were arrested by the CBI. These arrests are considered as part of conclusions to a 16-year-old unresolved case. The case assumes importance in India's judicial and law enforcement history on various counts. It has been investigated and reinvestigated by various police agencies of Kerala and various teams within Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI-India) for 16 long years. Manipulations by police, forensic teams and medico legal experts were alleged. Interference in the investigation by senior police officers and by politicians, was also alleged. There was also allegation of trial by the media. The Catholic Church in Kerala also was on the defence on allegations of murder and sexual misconduct by its priests and nuns. The Kerala Police, Kerala Crime Branch and CBI have been in the dock for inefficient, tardy and ineffective investigations and for allowing undue bureaucratic and political interference in the investigations. The case is also a typical example of judicial activism, with the Court refusing to accept police closure reports and ordering reinvestigation of the case again and again. The case also stands out for social activism, for the role played by the Civic Action Council to doggedly pursue impartial investigation in the case. Social activist Jomon Puthenpurackal pursued the case for 16 long years but he has been the target of various allegations on his motives. The high court has ordered a police investigation of Jomon including his financial affairs. This was challenged by Jomon in the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court refused to stay the investigation. The parents of Sr. Abhaya has alleged profiteering by Jomon and has disassociated themselves from the action council. Allegations have been made that the investigations in the case were stalled and evidence destroyed as a result of powerful influences exerted by those involved as accused in the case. This is also a case where scientific investigation methods such as polygraph tests, brain mapping/brain fingerprinting and narco analysis were used to solve the case. The Supreme Court is to decide whether the tests are a violation of human rights and personal liberty. The narco test CDs were leaked to the media, some of who transmitted the same with slanted commentary against the accused, against court orders. This has been challenged in the courts as a naked violation of human rights.
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