Aghast with SC verdict, says Soumya's mother

Thiruvananthapuram: The mother of Soumya, who was brutally raped and killed after being pushed out of a moving train in 2011, Friday said she was aghast with Supreme Court's rejection of her review petition against acquittal of the convict of murder charge.

Sumathi said her daughter had been killed cruelly "inch by inch" and justice had been denied to her family.

"Even though I have not got justice, Govindachamy should never leave the prison. I had expected to get justice from the Supreme Court," Sumathi, who broke down on hearing the verdict, told reporters at her home in Shornoor in Palakkad district.

The apex court today dismissed the two review petitions filed by Kerala government and Sumathi challenging its earlier verdict commuting the death sentence of the accused Govindachamy after dropping the murder charge.

Apparently, referring to former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, who appeared in the court today in the case, she said, "Even a retired judge came to argue for my daughter ...But even then I did not get justice. I do not have any complaints against anyone as everyone has worked hard to help me."

Justice Katju was summoned by the apex court as he in his blog had claimed that there was error in the judgement acquitting the accused of the murder charge. He was asked to assist the bench during the hearing of the review petition.

Sumathi said the Kerala High Court had upheld the trial court order awarding death sentence to Govindachamy.

"But I do not know how my daughter's case ended up like this in the Supreme Court," she said.

The distraught mother said her only prayer was there should never be another Soumya.

'My child was killed so cruelly inch by inch...

Govindachamy should never be released," she said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the apex court verdict, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Ramesh Chennithala hit out at the LDF government alleging that Govindachamy managed to escape the gallows due to the government's "inefficiency".

"The state's conscience will not pardon the CPI(M)-led LDF government," he said in a statement here.

"Today's decision was not unexpected. The prosecution's lapses had been pointed out by the apex court earlier itself," he said.