The judgment of the NIA Court noted that the examination question had kicked up controversy alarmingly quickly with protests being called by various Muslim organisations with the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI), and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) at the forefront.
Before the incident, the State government had actually registered a suo motu case against the professor for disrupting religious harmony. In fact, he was arrested and spent 6 days behind bars until he was released on bail.
The professor continued to receive threats but it was a few months after his release that he was assaulted by a group of men while returning home after Sunday mass at church with his sister and mother. The group pulled him out of the car, chopped off the right hand, the one used by the Professor to pen the controversial question and threw it away.
Fortunately, the hand was recovered and the professor survived the incident and his hand was reattached after long medical procedures.
The Kerala Police carried out the first part of the investigation, and thereafter, the NIA took over.
The prosecution case was that the accused who were the then leaders/active members of the PFI and SDPI, motivated with the specific intention of taking revenge on Professor Joseph, hatched a criminal conspiracy, agreed to form a terrorist gang to physically attack and commit the murder, so as to strike terror in the minds of the people and to promote enmity and hatred between different religious groups and also made a detailed plan for the post-incident stage.
Source: Barandbench
