The long-awaited day has arrived as the special NIA court prepares to deliver the verdict on the Thodupuzha hand chopping case. This infamous incident involves the brutal attack on Malayalam professor T.J. Joseph by Islamic fundamentalists back in 2010. After a thorough trial, six individuals, namely Sajil, M.K. Nassar, K.A. Najeeb, M.K. Naushad, P.P. Moideen Kunju, and P.M. Ayoob, alleged members of the banned radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), have been found guilty by Special NIA court judge Anil K. Bhaskar.
The court has convicted them of charges including attempted murder, conspiracy, and various other offenses under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) during the second phase of the trial. Additionally, some of the accused have also been found guilty under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). However, it is important to note that five other individuals involved in the case have been acquitted.
This case has seen its fair share of legal proceedings, as in the initial phase, 31 accused individuals faced trial. Ultimately, the court convicted 10 of them for offenses under the UAPA, Explosive Substances Act, and IPC, while three others were found guilty of harboring the offenders. However, 18 individuals were acquitted during this earlier stage of the case.
The gruesome attack occurred on July 4, 2010, when T.J. Joseph, a professor at Newman College in Thodupuzha, Idukki district, had his right hand severed by activists belonging to the now-outlawed Islamic outfit PFI. The incident unfolded as Joseph was returning home with his family after attending a Sunday mass at a church in Muvattupuzha, Ernakulam district. The assailants, a group of seven people, forcefully dragged the professor out of his vehicle, subjected him to a brutal assault, and ultimately chopped off his right hand. The main accused, Savad, who carried out the gruesome act, remains at large.
The motive behind this heinous crime, as initially uncovered by the investigating police, was the alleged derogatory religious remarks made by Joseph in a question paper he had set for the BCom semester examination at Newman College. Now, after years of legal proceedings, the time has come for the court to determine the fate of the six convicted individuals in this tragic Thodupuzha hand chopping case.
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