The Kerala High Court on Friday (December 20) called for a report from the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court in the Abhimanyu murder case on a petition filed by Abhimanyu’s mother seeking a directive to expedite trial in the case.
Abhimanyu, 21, hailing from a tribal family in Idukki’s Vattavada, was stabbed to death by a gang allegedly consisting of members of the Campus Front of India at Maharaja’s College in July 2018. The murder was reportedly a sequel to a dispute between SFI and Campus Front activists, over the placement of some posters at the college.
In her petition, Bhoopathy, mother of Abhimanyu, pointed out that the case was still in the preliminary hearing stage. Even six years after the incident, charges had not been framed against the accused. The fact that the case had not made any progress with no prospect of the trial commencing in the near future was violative of the principles of criminal justice system. The accused were highly influential persons, and all of them were released on bail without undergoing judicial custody for a significant time.
The delay in commencing the trial had given undue advantage to the accused. The petitioner pointed out that a majority of the prosecution witnesses were students of the college, and that most of them had gone abroad for higher education and employment. If the trial was further delayed, the presence of witnesses would become a major issue. The trial should be conducted before the memories of the witnesses faded away.
The petitioner sought a directive to the Sessions Court to commence the trial and dispose of the case within a short period. The court posted the petition for January 17 for further hearing.
Published – December 20, 2024 08:20 pm IST