The Kerala High Court today allowed bail to Sister Sephy and Father Thomas Kottoor convicted of life imprisonment in the Sister Abhaya murder case. A Division Bench comprising Justices Vinod Chandran and C. Jayachandran allowed bail to the duo on the condition of furnishing bonds worth five lakh rupees each. The court also directed them not to leave the state.<br />''<br />''In December 2020, the CBI Special Court in Thiruvananthapuram held the duo guilty of murdering Sister Abhaya and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Another priest accused in the case was discharged by the court. Sister Sephy and Father Thomas Kottoor have challenged their conviction in the Kerala High Court which is pending.<br />''<br />''Sister Abhaya, a novice staying at the St. Pious X Convent in Kottayam was found dead in the well of the Convent in March 1992. The local police and the State Crime Branch initially closed the investigation terming the death as suicide, but following public outcry, the case was handed over to the Central Bureau Of Investigation. The CBI investigation concluded that Sister Abhaya was murdered after she found Sister Sephy, Father Thomas Kottoor and another priest in a compromising position and dumped her body in the well. <br />