Special NIA court convicts 6 persons in 2010 college professor hand chopping case

A special NIA court in Kerala on Wednesday convicted six persons, who are allegedly members of now banned radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), in the sensational hand-chopping case of a college professor in Kerala in 2010.

Special NIA court judge Anil K Bhaskar found them guilty of attempted murder, conspiracy and various other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the second phase of the trial in the case.

Some of the accused were also held guilty of offences under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). It acquitted the five other accused in the case.

In the first phase, 31 accused had faced trial and of them, the court had in April 2015 convicted 10 for offences under the UAPA as well as the Explosive Substances Act and the IPC and found three others guilty of harbouring the offenders.

The court had acquitted 18 others in the case back then. The right hand of T J Joseph, professor of Newman College in Thodupuzha in Idukki district, was chopped off allegedly by activists of now outlawed Islamic outfit PFI on July 4, 2010.

The attack took place while he was returning home with his family after attending a Sunday mass at a church in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district.

The attackers, a group of seven people, pulled the professor out of the vehicle, assaulted him and then his right hand was chopped off by main accused Savad who is still absconding.
According to the police that initially probed the case, the accused wanted to kill Joseph for derogatory religious remarks in a question paper he set for BCom semester examination in Newman College.