In Soumya rape and murder, convict's death sentence cancelled by Supreme Court
Highlights
- Supreme Court reduces Govindachamy's death sentence to 14 years in jail
- Top court says evidence of rape but not enough of murder
- Soumya was pushed off train, hit with stone, raped. She died 5 days later
In 2011, 23-year-old Soumya was allegedly pushed off a train in Kerala by a man who jumped after her, hit her with a stone and then raped her in her wounded state. The attacker, Govindachamy, will not hang, the Supreme Court ruled today, reducing his sentence to 14 years in jail.
A fast track court had held Govindachamy guilty of rape and murder and sentenced him to death. The Kerala High Court confirmed the sentence. The Supreme Court, hearing Govindachamy's petition, said today that there is evidence of rape but not enough of murder.
Soumya, who worked in a mall in Ernakulam, was returning home by train when she was attacked in the women's compartment. Govindachamy, a serial offender from Tamil Nadu, tried to rob her. The prosecution told the court that Soumya was pushed off the moving train when she fought Govindachamy.
She was found unconscious near the track. She died five days later in hospital.
The top court today said there is no evidence that she was thrown off the train and did not jump off.
At her home in Kerala's Thrissur, her mother broke down as reporters asked her to respond to the court order. "He did this to my daughter. And he will not even be hanged...My heart is broken. All this while I thought we will get justice. Nothing," she sobbed.
The family blamed lawyers for botching up the case.