All the 16 accused in the Abhimanyu murder case appeared before the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court in Kerala on Thursday (August 13, 2026), after failing to be present during the last two hearings.

The court read out an additional charge of voluntarily causing hurt (Section 323 of the IPC) at the instance of the prosecution. Special Prosecutor G. Mohanraj appeared in the case.

Accused deny charge

The accused denied the charge. Principal Sessions Judge K. K. Balakrishnan subsequently posted the case for August 17.

The Kerala High Court had earlier directed that the trial be completed within four months, acting on a petition filed by the victim’s mother, Bhoopathy.

At the hearings on August 6 and August 10, the court had expressed strong dissatisfaction over the continued absence of the accused. On August 10, it dismissed their petitions seeking representation through lawyers. One of the reasons cited for seeking exemption from personal appearance was the alleged attempt to illegally capture images of the accused.

All 16 accused had pleaded not guilty when charges were initially read out 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 triggered widespread protests and reignited debate over political violence on college campuses.

Although the police filed the chargesheet in September 2018, the trial was delayed due to a host of factors.

Published - August 13, 2026 02:12 pm IST