Professor TJ Joseph Hand Chopping Case: NIA Court Finds 6 Guilty; Acquits 5 In Second Phase Of Trial

The National Investigation Agency Court, Kochi, on Wednesday found 6 of the 11 accused persons guilty in the sensational Professor T.J. Joseph hand-chopping case of 2010. Judge Anil Bhaskar pronounced the verdict in the second phase of the trial today.

The matter arose when a question in an exam set by Professor Joseph, the former Head of the Malayalam Department of Newman College, Thodupuzha, contained a passage that was alleged to have insulted Prophet Mohammed. Subsequently, on July 4, 2010, a group of men attacked Prof. Joseph and his family as they were going to church, and chopped off his right hand and stabbed him in the left leg. 

In the first phase, 31 people had been put on trial in connection with the incident and 13 of them had been found guilty in 2015. 

In the second phase, the 11 persons who were put on trial were those who had escaped after the first stage of the trial was over, and were detained by the police subsequently. The 11 persons include Sajil, M K Nasar, Shafeeq, Najeeb K A, Azeez Odakkal, Subair T P, M K Noushad, Mansoor, P P Moideen Kunju, Mohammed Rafi, and PM Ayoob. 

Of these, Nassar, Sajil, Najeeb, Noushad, Kunju, and Ayoob were found guilty, while Shafeeq, Azeez, Rafi, Subair, and Mansoor were acquitted. 

The main accused, Ashamannur Sawad, who is said to have chopped off the Professor Joseph's hand as per the NIA Chargesheet, is still absconding.

The case was initially investigated by the Kerala Police, and was subsequently taken over by the NIA on March 9, 2011. The accused persons were charged with offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, the Explosives Act, and criminal conspiracy, grievous bodily harm with a deadly weapon, and criminal intimidation under the IPC.

The Court shall pronounce the sentence at 3 PM tomorrow.