Archive · 13 Aug 2026
All 16 accused appear as Abhimanyu murder trial finally begins
A long time ago, in 2018, a college student named Abhimanyu was hurt very badly during a fight at his school in Kochi and sadly passed away.
Four other students were also hurt in the fight.
The fight happened after a disagreement about posters on the campus.
The police said 16 people were involved, and they needed to be tried in court.
But the court case took more than seven years just to get started.
Twice, the accused people did not come to court even though they were told to, but this time all 16 showed up after the judge warned them.
The judge read out the accusations, and everyone said they were not guilty.
Abhimanyu's mother asked the High Court to make things faster, and the court gave a final deadline.
The trial will finally begin on August 17, and everyone is waiting to see what happens.
All 16 accused appeared before the trial court on Thursday after failing to comply with two earlier directions to appear.
The newly framed charges were read out to the accused, who denied them and pleaded not guilty.
The trial is scheduled to commence on August 17, with the case to be considered again on Monday.
The Kerala High Court granted the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court a final four-month extension to complete the trial, with no further extensions permitted.
Abhimanyu, a 21-year-old SFI activist and Maharaja's College student, was fatally stabbed during a campus clash on July 1, 2018, and four other SFI activists were injured.
- Who
- Abhimanyu, a 21-year-old SFI activist and Maharaja's College student, was the victim; all 16 accused, alleged Campus Front and Popular Front activists, appeared in court.
- What
- The long-delayed trial in the 2018 Abhimanyu murder case is set to begin after all 16 accused appeared, had charges read out, and pleaded not guilty.
- When
- The accused appeared on Thursday; the murder occurred on July 1, 2018, and the trial is scheduled to commence on August 17.
- Where
- The case is being heard at the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court in Kerala; the murder took place at Maharaja's College.
- Why
- The trial remained stalled for more than seven years; the Kerala High Court set a final deadline after Abhimanyu's mother sought speedy completion of the proceedings.
- Case
- Abhimanyu murder case
- Victim
- Abhimanyu, 21-year-old SFI activist and Maharaja's College student
- Incident date
- July 1, 2018
- Incident location
- Maharaja's College campus, Kerala
- Accused
- 16 individuals, alleged Campus Front and Popular Front activists
- Charges
- Murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting and unlawful assembly
- Charge sheet filed
- September 2018 by Ernakulam Central Police
- Trial start date
- August 17