Accused in Abhimanyu murder case plea not guilty

Sixteen accused in the Abhimanyu murder case pleaded not guilty to the charges read out to them by the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Monday, nearly eight years after the SFI leader’s killing on the Maharaja’s College campus.

The case has been adjourned to July 24, when the prosecution will submit its list of witnesses and documentary evidence, following which the court will fix a schedule for their examination. The accused, who appeared in person, denied the charges when asked by the court whether they admitted them.

The proceedings are being presided over by Ernakulam Principal Sessions Judge K.K. Balakrishnan, with Special Public Prosecutor G. Mohanraj representing the prosecution. Previously, the court had dismissed discharge petitions filed by six of the accused, ruling that there were sufficient grounds 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 fatally stabbed on July 2, 2018, during clashes between members of the SFI and the Campus Front, the student wing of the Popular Front of India (PFI), reportedly following disputes over graffiti. The murder triggered widespread protests and renewed debate over political violence on college campuses.

Although the police filed the chargesheet in September 2018, the trial was delayed due to multiple factors, including petitions filed by the accused, the surrender and production of absconding accused, and the reconstruction of missing court records. A major serious setback occurred when crucial documents, including the chargesheet, post-mortem report, and witness statements, were found missing from the court. Acting on directions from the Kerala High Court, the records were later reconstructed using certified copies submitted by the prosecution.