Soumya's mother moves SC for review of verdict

About a week after the commutation of the death penalty handed to Soumya’s rapist, her mother approached the Supreme Court seeking review of the judgement.

A three-judge bench presided over by Justice Ranjan Gogoi had on September 15 upheld the rape charge against Govindachamy and awarded him a life term. The court noted that there were witnesses who testified about the 23-year-old victim making good her escape by jumping out of the Ernakulam-Shornur Passenger Train in February 2011.

In her petition, Soumya’s mother contended that the state failed to present a complete picture of the criminal antecedents of Govindachamy.  She submitted that it did not matter whether Soumya “fell off” the running train or “jumped off”. The apex court should have first considered  Govindachamy’s presence in the train, his intention to cause her harm and the brutal assault  in the train which culminated in her rape and death, she said.

The victim sustained injuries inside the train when her head was repeatedly banged on the compartment floor by Govindachamy, and this was sufficient to have caused her death. This amounted to murder, she contended.