Four more priests named in rector murder case
Father Thomas, Rector of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Malleswaram, was murdered on March 31, 2013. Posted on December 2, 2015, 7:05 PM
Bengaluru: (UCAN.IN)
Bangalore police have filed an additional charge sheet naming seven people, including four more priests of Bangalore archdiocese, as accused in the murder cases of Father K.J. Thomas.
Fathers I Anthappa, Chesara, A. Thomas and Anbu John are the priests named in the additional charge sheet filed Nov. 26 in the in the first Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
The other three named as accused in the additional charge sheet are Rita Rini, editor of ‘Maathu Kathe’, a Kannada monthly, Raphael Raj, general secretary, Akhila Karnataka Catholic Christara Kannada Sangha and Anthony Prasad, vice president of the Sangha.
The accused have moved the sessions court seeking anticipatory bail, while the magistrate court has issued non-bailable warrants against them. The police said they were yet to arrest the accused, media reports said.
Father Thomas, Rector of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Malleswaram, was murdered on March 31, 2013.
The police had filed the first charge sheet on June 17, 2014, which named Father Illyas, Father William Patrick and Peter. The three are now jailed in Parappana Agrahara prisons.
The second charge sheet runs into 10,000 pages and other supporting documents.
The accused are said to have executed their plan on March 31, 2013, as it was Easter time and they knew that all the students and most priests in the seminary – except Fr Thomas and a few others – would be on leave.
Illyas, Patrick, Peter and others met near Yeshwantpur Circle on the night of March 31, walked up to the seminary armed with rods and other deadly weapons.
On reaching there, they broke open the locks of the seminary rooms and started searching for documents. They fatally assaulted Father Thomas, who confronted them.
Source: Deccan Herald
