Accused Sajil, Nasar and Najeeb have been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
(Representational image: ANI)
Accused Sajil, Nasar and Najeeb have been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment
Three men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for chopping off the palm of Professor T J Joseph in Kerala.
Accused Sajil, Nasar and Najeeb have been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment while the three others got three years imprisonment.
A special NIA court on Wednesday convicted six persons, who are allegedly activists of now banned Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), in the sensational hand-chopping case in the second phase of the trial in the matter.
Special NIA court judge Anil K Bhaskar found three of them — Sajil, Nasar and Najeeb — guilty of offences under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as well as attempted murder, conspiracy and various other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Explosive Substances Act in the second phase of the trial in the case.
The attack took place while the professor was returning home with his family after attending a Sunday mass at a church in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district. The attackers, a group of seven people, pulled the professor out of the vehicle, assaulted him and then his right hand was chopped off by main accused Savad who is still absconding.
According to the police that initially probed the case, the accused wanted to kill Joseph for derogatory religious remarks in a question paper he set for BCom semester examination in Newman College.
(With PTI inputs)