The Ernakulam National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court will split the charge sheet of the accused in the palm-chopping case and will begin the trial of others shortly.
The charge against the accused who are still at large will be split and trial of the other accused will begin within a few months. A few of the accused, including the first and 28th in the case, are absconding. Notices would be issued to the accused who have been charge sheeted in the case, sources said.
Incidentally, the NIA had exempted 18 persons from the list of accused in the supplementary charge sheet before the court. The case is that the accused chopped off the right palm of T.J. Joseph, a teacher of the Newman’s College, Thodupuzha, on July 4, 2010.