TJ Joseph palm chopping case: NIA court convicts six more; to pronounce punishment on Thursday

KOCHI: The special court for considering cases of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Kochi on Wednesday convicted six more accused persons in the professor’s palm chopping case.
The convicted persons are the second accused Sajil, third accused MK Nazar, fourth accused Najeeb, eighth accused MK Noushad, eleventh accused PP Moideen Kunju and the twelfth accused PM Ayoob.
The case pertains to the incident on July 4, 2010, when the right palm of TJ Joseph, then a professor with Newman College, Thodupuzha was chopped off by the assailants, who were members of now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI).
The gruesome crime was committed alleging ridiculing of Prophet Muhammad in the Malayalam question paper prepared by him, for the internal examination of BCom students at the Newman College, Thodupuzha, Idukki district, during the academic year 2009-2010.
The NIA submitted before the court that the act committed by the accused persons were akin to Talibanism and they should be given maximum punishment.
The accused persons pleaded for leniency.
The court will pronounce their punishment at 3pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the court chaired by Special Judge Anil K Bhaskar acquitted five accused persons – Asiz Odakkali, Mohammad Rafi, Subair TP, Shefeeq and Mansoor - for want of evidence in the case.
The court had begun the second phase of the trial on April 16, 2021.
The attack on Joseph happened when the professor and his family were returning from church.
Their car was blocked by the seven-member gang near his residence in Muvattupuzha.
The accused broke the vehicle’s glasses and assaulted the other family members.
Later, Joseph was pulled out and his palm was chopped off by first accused Savad, saying that he had ridiculed Islam using his hand and that he should not write any more with that hand.

Meanwhile, Joseph told the media that he was not anxious about the accused persons being convicted or punished by the court.
He said that he only has the curiosity of any Indian citizen about how the case will end.
He also said that the belief that the victim will get justice when the accused persons are punished is wrong.
“Those who attacked me were only weapons who followed the orders of others. They are not the real culprits. Like me they are also victims. They attacked me because of certain primitive beliefs. The real culprits are still outside the case. They started a war against me and I am still fighting. I suffered several losses in the war but I am still fighting,” he said.
The first trial in the case against 31 accused persons had started in 2013.
Those who faced the second phase of trial were the ones who were arrested or surrendered after the first trial began.
There were around 51 accused persons in the case and 45 were chargesheeted by the NIA.
As many as 31 persons faced trial and 13 were convicted in 2015.
Meanwhile, Savad, the first accused who had chopped the teacher’s palm, is still at large.