Kerala professor's palm chopping case: NIA court remands main accused Savad to judicial custody till February 16

Ernakulam (Kerala) [India], January 28 (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court here has remanded Savad, the main accused in professor T J Joseph's palm chopping case, to judicial custody till February 16.
Next week, NIA will submit a custody application for 10 days, a release said on Saturday.
Savad will be moved from Ernakulam Sub Jail to Kakkanad District Jail. As per the prison transfer request, the Sub Jail is not sufficient to protect the accused.
He was placed in Ernakulam Sub Jail, for the test identification process.
Earlier on January 10, the NIA arrested the key and last absconding accused in Kerala's professor palm-chopping case, bringing its investigations into the horrendous incident to a successful culmination.
Savad, who had been on the run for the last 13 years and was carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh for his arrest, was nabbed from Mattannur, Kannur (Kerala) following sustained efforts.
Savad was identified as the main accused in the infamous 2010 case of attempted murder of Professor TJ Joseph by chopping off his palm, the NIA said.
"Savad was charge-sheeted on January 10, 2011, in the case, one of the earliest such incidents in India reflecting the ideology of violent extremism being pursued by the Popular Front of India (PFI)," said the anti-terror agency.
A total of 19 accused have so far been convicted for various offences under the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the case. Of them, three have been convicted for life and 10 others have been sent to eight years of Rigorous Imprisonment and fine.
As per the NIA, all the accused in the case were either leaders, activists or cadres of the now-banned PFI and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), and were actively involved in the criminal conspiracy relating to the lethal attack on Professor T J Joseph at Muvattupuzha.
The assailants had chopped off the palm of the professor for allegedly ridiculing Prophet Mohammed in a Malayalam question paper prepared for the internal examination of B.Com. students at Newman College, Thodupuzha, Idukki district. (ANI)