Kochi: Six accused in the sensational 2010 hand-chopping case were found guilty by a special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday. Five others were acquitted.

M K Nassar, Sajil, Najeeb, M K Naushad, P P Muhammadkunju and P M Ayoob were found guilty by the court. According to the probe team, Nassar masterminded the attack.

Shafique, Aziz Odakkali, Mohammad Rafi, T P Subair and Mansoor were acquitted by the court.

The case pertains to the brutal attack on Malayalam professor T J Joseph by Islamic fundamentalists.

While responding to the media, T J Joseph said that he found no happiness in the verdict by the NIA court.

He said the attackers were themselves the victims of centuries-old tribal beliefs and that the real perpetrators who ordered them to chop his hands have not been brought before the law.

The court pronounced the verdict as the second-phase of the trial involving people who were arrested after 2015 was completed on Wednesday.

The trial was delayed owing to the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Earlier, 13 of the accused who were tried in the first phase were sentenced by the court, while 18 of them were acquitted for want of evidence.

The accused had ganged up and committed the crime on July 4, 2010, to avenge Joseph who was a faculty of Newman College, Thodupuzha, 'for having committed blasphemy while setting a question paper'.

The right hand of Joseph was chopped off by the assailants. The prime accused, Savad, is still in hiding.

The Special Court judge, Anil K Bhaskar, heard the arguments. P G Manu appeared for the prosecution in the initial phase, while Sindhu Ravishankar acted as the counsel later.

The chilling crime

On July 4, 2010, a group of eight people in a Maruti Omni waylaid the professor near his home at Muvattupuzha.

According to Joseph's sister, Stella Joseph, around eight people armed with swords and knives came in a van and stopped their vehicle. They pulled the lecturer out of the vehicle after smashing the windscreen. They then

chopped off his right hand and stabbed him in the left thigh.

When they tried to stop the assault, she and her mother were attacked by the assailants who then detonated bombs and fled the scene.

According to police, the attack was carried out by an eight-member team consisting of Savad of Asamannoor, Pareeth of North Vazhakkulam, Shobin of Kothamangalam, Nazar of Aluva, Shajil of Muvattupuzha, Shamsuddin of Perumbavoor, Shanvas and Jamal.