After 28 long years, the verdict in the Sister Abhaya case will be pronounced by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

A day before the crucial verdict in nun murder case, the main witness in the case K Rajau, alias Adakka Raju, told before media that he was tortured for days together to own up to the crime by police officers. Raju, a small-time robber, was present on the convent premises when the incident took place. Later, he reportedly told CBI officials that he saw two priests and a nun at the convent under mysterious circumstances. “I suffered a lot. I got big promises to own up to the crime, but I refused to budge. I want the truth to come out,” he told the news media.

The CBI had charge-sheeted Catholic priest Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sefi in the case. They were charged with murder, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and other charges. Another accused Father Jose Poothrukayil was let off by the court last year after it found there was no evidence against him.

Sister Abhaya, a plus-two student, was found dead in the well of the Pious X Convent in Kottayam. It was initially ruled as case of suicide by the state police and crime branch, but the CBI later concluded that it was a murder. Many witnesses had turned hostile during the trial and a flurry of petitions in various courts delayed case proceedings.

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