Abhimanyu murder case trial gets under way with examination of eyewitness

The trial in the Abhimanyu murder case commenced in the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Thursday (October 15, 2026), with the prosecution beginning the chief examination of the first of seven eyewitnesses.Special public prosecutor G. Mohanraj examined Subin, who was reportedly with Abhimanyu during the fatal attack. He identified the accused, including the one who allegedly stabbed Abhimanyu. His testimony largely matched the statement he had earlier given to the police. The second eyewitness, Arjun, will be examined on Friday (October 16, 2026).A defence counsel had on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) filed a petition seeking to defer the cross-examination of the eyewitnesses until the examination of all seven eyewitnesses was completed. The petition argued that “if any of these witnessed are cross-examined before completing the chief examination of all, there is very likelihood of tutoring the remaining witnesses in the light of the defence taken by the accused and questions put to the witnesses earlier cross-examined.”However, Mr. Mohanraj and lawyer K.S. Arunkumar, representing Abhimanyu’s brother Parijith, the 18th witness in the case, objected to the plea and instead insisted that cross-examination be conducted simultaneously with the chief examination to avoid further delay. Mr. Arunkumar further argued that prematurely deferring the cross-examination would prejudice the entire proceedings. Consequently, Principal Sessions Judge K.K. Balakrishnan asked him to file objections before 3 p.m. on Thursday.The examination of all 156 witnesses will continue without interruption except on holidays and is scheduled to be completed within 18 days by November 12. The court had fixed the trial schedule on August 21 following a Kerala High Court order in July directing that the trial be completed within four months, based on a petition filed by Abhimanyu’s mother, Bhoopathy.Dismissed pleaAll 16 accused appeared wearing masks but were asked by the court to remove them. On September 22, 2026, the court had dismissed a petition filed by 13 accused seeking in-camera trial proceedings. “In the absence of any specific material demonstrating that an open hearing would prejudice the fair and proper administration of justice, there is no justification for departing from the general rule of an open court trial,” the judgment said.The chargesheet in the case was filed in 2018. Abhimanyu, a second-year BSc Chemistry student and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) unit secretary at Maharajas College, was fatally stabbed on July 2, 2018, during clashes between activists of the SFI and the Campus Front, the student wing of the Popular Front of India (PFI), reportedly following disputes over graffiti. Published - October 15, 2026 04:41 pm IST