Kerala professor T.J. Joseph hand-chopping case: High Court grants bail to man sentenced to life

Kerala High Court grants bail to main conspirator in 2010 hand-chopping case pending appeal, citing lengthy pre-conviction incarceration.

The Kerala High Court has granted bail to the main conspirator in the sensational college professor hand-chopping case of 2010 who was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a special NIA court in 2023.

A Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and P.V. Balakrishnan suspended the sentence of convict M.K. Nasar while his appeal against the NIA court's decision is pending in the High Court.

The NIA court had found Nasar to be the main conspirator in the case.

The Bench noted that Nasar underwent incarceration, at the pre-conviction and post-conviction phases, for over nine years and the fact that other accused, facing the same allegations as him, were earlier imposed with a lesser term of imprisonment and released after having undergone the sentence.

“Additionally, the appeals filed by the NIA against the findings of the sessions judge are being considered in separate appeals, which have not yet been taken up,” the Bench said.

"There is also the likelihood of delay, as the prime accused has surrendered, and the sessions judge may have to take up the trial and dispose of it in accordance with the law and some of the original records may be required for that purpose," the Bench said.

The High Court said that in view of these facts and circumstances, it was of the opinion that the sentence imposed on the applicant (Nasar) can be suspended pending the consideration of his appeal.