Kochi, Aug 4 (IANS) The Kerala High Court on Tuesday granted the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court a final extension of four months to complete the trial in the 2018 murder case of SFI leader Abhimanyu, making it clear that no further extension would be allowed.
A bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath extended the deadline after the trial court informed the High Court that the proceedings could not be completed within the time earlier fixed, and directed that the trial be concluded within the extended period without fail.
The order came on petitions filed by both the Principal Sessions Judge seeking more time to complete the trial and Abhimanyu’s mother, who sought speedy disposal of the long-pending case.
The High Court had, on January 24 this year, directed the Sessions Court to complete the trial within nine months after taking note of the prolonged delay in the case.
That direction came on a petition filed by Abhimanyu’s mother in 2024, highlighting that trial proceedings had not even commenced despite several years having passed since the filing of the charge sheet.
Abhimanyu, a 21-year-old student of Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, was fatally stabbed during a clash on the college campus on July 1, 2018.
Four other SFI activists were also injured in the attack.
According to the prosecution, the accused, allegedly linked to the now-banned Campus Front, attacked the students following a dispute over the putting up of campus posters.
Police registered a case charging the accused with offences including murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting, and unlawful assembly.
The Ernakulam Central Police filed the charge sheet in September 2018, following which the case was committed to the Principal Sessions Court.
However, the trial has remained pending for more than seven years, prompting repeated intervention by the High Court.
With Tuesday’s order, the High Court has signalled that the prolonged delay cannot continue, setting what is effectively the final deadline for concluding one of Kerala’s most high-profile campus murder trials.
–IANS
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