By TCN News,
Kochi: The National Investigation Agency will not take up the probe into the case of attack on lecturer in Ernakulam. The Central Home Ministry has reportedly decided that the NIA should not take up the case as the police investigation was good and chargesheet has been submitted.
Meanwhile, the special CBI court in Ernakulam ordered on Tuesday to confiscate the properties of two accused absconding in the case. The court also postponed the date for submitting counter-affidavit in the bail plea submitted by three accused to February 16. The remand tenure of those in custody has been extended till February 22. Trial against the 25 accused under arrest is reported to begin next month.
The Ernakulam CBI second Court Judge S Vijayakumar ordered to confiscate the properties of first accused Savad and fourth accused Sajil. The filing of counter-affidavit on the bail plea submitted by Moideen Kutty, Shiyas and Muhammedali has been postponed to next Wednesday on the request of the prosecution.
The state home ministry had handed over the details of the case to the central home ministry. The centre then reportedly analysed that the investigation carried out by the state police was very good. However, there have been demands from many corners that the case be taken up by the NIA, which already has six cases in the state.
The police had submitted chargesheet against 27 accused and 25 have been arrested. All but for one arrested in the case were present in the court on Tuesday.
There are a total of 54 accused in the case. One of the main accused MK Nasar and 28 others are still absconding and yet to be caught. There are more than 250 witnesses also, 11 of them being eye-witnesses.
The accused are reported to have attacked and chopped off the right palm of Prof TJ Joseph, lecturer of Malayalam in the Newman College, Thodupuzha, in July 2010. Mr Joseph was involved in a blasphemy case. He had just been released on bail when the attack took place. Many were arrested and some of the arrested have been granted bail such as Prof Anas, who had won in the recently-held local body elections as a candidate of the SDPI, and Dr Raneef, who is said to have treated one of the accused after he was injured in the attack.