Kerala professor hand chopping case: NIA court to pronounce verdict against 11 PFI members

In the infamous hand chopping case of Professor TJ Joseph by members of now banned outfit The Popular Front of India (PFI), the NIA Court in Kochi has completed the trial of 11 accused involved in the case and is all set to pronounce its verdict in the matter. The verdict will decide the fate of 11 accused including Popular Front leader MK Nasar, known to be the mastermind behind the incident. Other accused in the case are Sajil, Shafeeq, Najeeb K A, Azeez, Mohammad Rafi, Subair TP, M K Noushad, Mansoor, P P Moideen Kunju, and P M Ayood.

Savad, an accused directly involved with the act of violence, is still missing. The prime agency has not been able to trace him. Savad, it is learnt, managed to move to the UAE and has completely cut off from the family or the people linked with PFI. The NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakhs for those informing the whereabouts of Savad in early 2023.

A case that brought PFI terror to limelight

The incident took place on July 4, 2010, when an eight-member group attacked the professor after waylaying his vehicle, in front of his family and chopped his hands and stabbed his leg while they were going to church. The accused had cut off the palm of the professor, alleging that there was blasphemy and insult against Prophet Muhammad in the question paper prepared for the B.Com. internal examination of Thodupuzha Newman College.

They broke the windshield of the car, assaulted family members and threw a bomb and fled. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) completed the interrogation of the accused. It found that the PFI had a role in the terror act and had conspired in the act. During the first phase of the verdict after the chargesheet was filed by the agency, of the 37 accused 11 were found guilty of the charges and the court sentenced them in 2015. Out of 31 accused presented, the court found 13 guilty of the crime and 18 were acquitted. Ten among the guilty were charged under UAPA and three under IPC 212. The current verdict is for those who were detained post-2015.