NIA contests low jail terms to professor's hand choppers

It also said acquittal of six of the accused needed to be reviewed.

Kochi:  The NIA, probing the case of a college professor's hand being chopped off by some people, on Wednesday filed an appeal in the Kerala High Court that a trial court's sentencing of the accused was lenient.

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court here in May convicted 13 accused in the case and sentenced 10 people to eight years in jail and three others to two years in jail.

In its appeal, the NIA said the terms of the sentence for the 13 accused were less when one looks into the gravity of the case. It also said acquittal of six of the accused needed to be reviewed.

The right hand of T.J. Joseph, a Malayalam teacher at New Man College Thodupuzha, was chopped off by Popular Front of India (PFI) activists on July 4, 2010, in Ernakulam district.

The PFI activists were angry because Joseph allegedly made inflammatory remarks about Prophet Mohammed.

Source: IANS