High Court greenlights Abhimanyu murder trial, rejects stay petition

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has dismissed a petition filed by the accused in the Abhimanyu murder case, seeking to stay the upcoming trial proceedings. The court’s decision clears the way for the trial of the individuals directly involved in the 2018 killing of the SFI leader at Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam.

Five of the accused, including the primary suspect Muhammad, had approached the High Court with a plea arguing that the trial should not commence until a charge sheet was filed against accused numbers 17 through 26. The prosecution, however, contended that the first 16 accused were the direct participants in the crime and that their trial could proceed independently of the others.

The High Court accepted the prosecution's argument that those listed as accused 17 through 26 are charged with destroying evidence and aiding the suspects in evading arrest, which does not constitute a legal barrier to the trial of the primary defendants.

Abhimanyu, 19, a second-year BSc Chemistry student and a native of Vattavada in Idukki, was killed on the midnight of July 2, 2018. The fatal incident was reportedly triggered by a dispute over political wall graffiti at the college campus, after Abhimanyu inscribed the slogan "Down with communalism" on a wall previously claimed by the Campus Front.

The case has faced significant delays over the past six years, drawing public criticism. The proceedings were hampered by various factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of essential documents, and the priority given to the marathon trial of a separate high-profile case involving an assault on an actress, which occupied the same court. The Ernakulam Sessions Court is scheduled to determine the trial date on July 24.