Hand-chopping case: Eight-year jail term for 10

An NIA court here, which last month convicted 13 people for chopping off the hand of a college professor, Friday sentenced 10 of them to eight years' imprisonment and jailed three for two years.

The court also directed the convicts to pay Rs.8 lakhs as compensation to the victim.

The court had convicted 13 people and acquitted 18 in its verdict last month.

The right hand of T.J. Joseph was chopped off by activists of the Popular Front of India( PFI) on July 4, 2010, when he was returning along with his family members from the Sunday mass near his home in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district.

The PFI activists were incensed because Joseph, a Malayalam teacher at the New Man College Thodupuzha, had allegedly made inflammatory remarks about Prophet Mohammed in an internal examination question paper.

Though 31 people were arrested, one of the main accused and four others are still at large.

After verdict last month, Joseph said the judgment was not going to have any effect on him and he has forgiven all those who had attacked him.

On Friday he said he is the least happy hearing the sentencing.

Joseph last year faced another tragedy when his 48-year-old wife Shalomi Joseph committed suicide.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has directed the finance department to clear all of Joseph's dues, including his medical bills.