The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court in Kerala has issued a stern directive to all 16 accused in the Abhimanyu murder case, ordering them to appear on August 10 when an additional charge invoked against them at the instance of the prosecution will be formally read out.
Presiding over the matter, Principal Sessions Judge K.K. Balakrishnan expressed displeasure at the absence of the accused on Thursday (August 6, 2026), particularly in light of the Kerala High Court’s recent instruction to conclude the trial within four months. The additional charge under Section 323 of the Indian Penal Code (voluntarily causing hurt) was invoked on the plea of the prosecution represented by Special Public Prosecutor G. Mohanraj.
The High Court’s directive to expedite proceedings came on a petition filed by Abhimanyu’s mother, Bhoopathy. She pointed out that the High Court had on January 24, 2025 directed the trial court to dispose of the case within nine months. This deadline was later extended by three months on October 31, 2025 following a request from the trial court.
Lawyer K.S. Arunkumar, appearing for Ms. Bhoopathy in the High Court, submitted the brief (vakalat) on behalf of Abhimanyu’s brother Parijith, the 18th witness in the case, which the court accepted.
Accused pleaded not guilty
All 16 accused had pleaded not guilty when charges were read out to them on July 6, 2026. They face charges of murder, causing hurt with dangerous weapons, criminal intimidation, destruction of evidence, rioting, and unlawful assembly.
Earlier, the court had dismissed discharge petitions filed by six of the accused, ruling that sufficient grounds existed to proceed. The plea of the first accused seeking the return of the chargesheet was also rejected.
Abhimanyu, a second-year B.Sc. Chemistry student and SFI unit secretary at Maharaja’s College, was allegedly fatally stabbed on July 2, 2018 during clashes between activists of the SFI and the Campus Front, the student wing of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI), reportedly following disputes over graffiti. His murder sparked widespread protests and reignited debate over political violence on college campuses.
Although the police filed the chargesheet in September 2018, the trial was repeatedly delayed due to a host of factors, including the petitions filed by the accused, the surrender and production of absconding individuals, and the reconstruction of missing court records. The chargesheet, post-mortem report, and witness statements, which reportedly went missing were subsequently reconstructed using certified copies submitted by the prosecution.
Published – August 06, 2026 02:49 pm IST
