Six held guilty by NIA court in Kerala palm chopping case, five let off

Kochi, July 12  An NIA court here on Wednesday found six accused guilty in the case of cutting off the palm of Professor T.J. Joseph, and acquitted five others. In the second phase of the verdict in the case, the court said that the charge of terrorism against the accused was proved.

The trial started in 2013 when the first charge sheet was filed that had 38 accused, and two years later 13 were convicted.

On Wednesday, the NIA court gave its verdict on the second supplementary charge sheet. It let off five and the punishment for the six accused will be pronounced on Thursday.

The gruesome incident occurred on July 4, 2010, when Joseph, a professor of Malayalam at Newman College, Thodupuzha, a Christian minority institution affiliated with Mahatma Gandhi University, along with his family was returning after Sunday mass. He was waylaid by a group of armed men and his palm was cut off.

The attackers belonging to the now banned Popular Front of India were upset on a Question Paper prepared by Joseph which they claimed was derogatory and in retaliation they cut off his palm and escaped.

Reacting to the verdict, Joseph said he doesn't feel anything after hearing about the verdict as he is more worried that those who did the crime are victims of a crude belief.

"I don't believe in the theory that the victim has got justice when the accused have been found guilty because those who have been named are only 'weapons' as those who planned this are still in hiding. especially the prime accused," said Joseph.

T.K.Rajmohan a now retired NIA official said he was the first person who met the family of Joseph soon after the NIA took over the probe and he had assured Joseph, his wife and sister that they will crack the case and with two supplementary charge sheets now settled, the NIA probe will definitely continue.

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