A special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment a Catholic priest and a nun for the murder of Sister Abhaya 28 years after her murder.

21-year-old on March 27, 1992 was murdered and her body was found dumped inside the well of a convent in Kottayam.

The Father Thomas Kottoor and Sister Sephy were held guilty of murder and destruction of the evidence on Tuesday following which the sentence was announced today.

A fine of ₹ five lakh each too was imposed on the priest and the nun. The two have also been sentenced to seven years in jail for destroying evidence, a PTI report stated.

The priest, who was a Vicar and taught Sister Abhaya psychology at Kottayam's BCM College, has also been convicted of house-trespassing, it said.

He was also Secretary to the then Bishop. He later rose to be Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese in Kottayam. Sister Sephy stayed in the same hostel as Sister Abhaya and was de facto in-charge of the hostel.

As per the CBI, Sister Abhaya was witness to intimate contacts between Kottoor, another Father, Jose Poothrikkayil, and Sephy on as she went from her hostel room to the kitchen at around 4.15 AM, the report added.