Madatharuvi case refers to a murder in Kerala, India. The case involved the 1966 murder of a widow named Mariyakutty. A priest, Fr. Benedict Onamkulam, was convicted of the crime.
Prosecution
The prosecution alleged that the Syro Malabar priest Fr. Benedict Onamkulam had killed Mariyakutty at the stream of Madatharuvi, near Ranni with the motive of ending their affair. Onamkulam was sentenced to death by the session court, however, the High court of Kerala acquitted and freed him purely based on technical grounds dismissing circumstancial evidence in 1967.
30 years later,Benedict Onamkulam was visited by the relatives of a deceased medical doctor and was told that it was in fact this man who was responsible for Mariyakutty's death when he performed an abortion on her. The doctor and the illicit child's father had then prepared Mariyakutty's body and linked her death to the priest.
The case has been so sensational in Kerala that it inspired a number films. It came into prominence in local media again in 2010 when the Changanassery Bishop opened Fr. Benidict's tomb for prayers at Athirampuzha.
Judgement