Soumya case: Govt exploring all legal options, says Advocate General

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government is exploring all legal options, including filing a curative petition, in the Supreme Court in the sensational rape and murder case of Soumya, a top law officer said on Friday.

A day after apex court dropped the murder charge against the accused, state Advocate General C P Sudhakara Prasad said all legal options, including filing a curative petition, were being considered to ensure maximum punishment to Govindachamy, who raped the 23-year old sales representative after pushing her down from a train in 2011.

"Steps are being taken in this direction," he told reporters. He, however, said a final decision would be taken only after consulting with the people concerned.

In its 22-page verdict, the apex court had discharged Govindachamy under section 302 (murder) of IPC, in which the maximum sentence is capital punishment, saying there was no intention on his part to kill the victim but only to sexually assault her by keeping her in a supine position.

The bench comprising justices Ranjan Gogoi, P C Pant and U U Lalit, however, upheld trial court verdict awarding life imprisonment to Govindachamy for raping the 23-year-old sales representative. The verdict had come as shock for the victim's family which dubbed it as "heart breaking" and expressed anguish over the "failure" of the state prosecutor to "properly" present the case in apex court. Political parties in the state have attacked the LDF government accusing it of not properly presenting the case in the Supreme Court.