Kochi: Nearly eight years after the sensational murder of Students’ Federation of India (SFI) leader M Abhimanyu inside the Maharaja’s College campus in Kochi, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Monday took a major step towards the commencement of trial by formally reading out the charges to the first 16 accused persons in the case.

The proceedings were conducted by Judge KK Balakrishnan, with Special Public Prosecutor G Mohanraj appearing for the state. All 16 accused, who were present before the court, denied the charges when asked whether they pleaded guilty. The charges against them include murder, attempt to murder, and unlawful assembly.

The case has been posted to July 24, when the prosecution will submit its final list of witnesses, documentary evidence and details of persons whose statements were recorded during the investigation but were not included in the final witness list. The court is expected to thereafter finalise the schedule for recording evidence and decide the date for commencement of the trial.

The development marks a significant breakthrough in a case that has witnessed years of legal and procedural delays.

Earlier, the court dismissed a series of petitions filed by the defence. It rejected a plea by the first accused, JI Muhammed, seeking the return of the chargesheet, besides dismissing discharge petitions filed by six other accused. The court held that there were sufficient grounds to proceed with the trial against them.

One of the biggest setbacks in the case came after 11 key prosecution records, including the original 5,000-page chargesheet, post-mortem certificate, wound certificates and crucial witness statements, went missing from the custody of the Sessions Court. The disappearance of the records had triggered widespread controversy and allegations of attempts to derail the trial.

With the proceedings remaining stalled for years, Abhimanyu’s mother approached the Kerala High Court seeking expeditious completion of the trial, expressing concern that crucial student witnesses could relocate or move abroad over time. Following directions from the High Court, the missing records were reconstructed using certified copies produced by the prosecution, enabling the trial process to resume.

Abhimanyu, a native of Vattavada in Idukki, was a 20-year-old second-year BSc Chemistry student at Maharaja’s College and the campus unit secretary of the SFI. He was killed during a violent clash on the college campus on the night of July 2, 2018.

According to the prosecution, the violence was triggered by a dispute over a wall earmarked by SFI activists for painting welcome graffiti for incoming students. The claim was allegedly challenged by activists of the Campus Front of India (CFI), the student wing of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI), and members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

The prosecution alleges that the dispute escalated into a pre-planned attack after an armed group from outside the campus entered the college. During the assault, Abhimanyu was fatally stabbed, while two other SFI activists, Arjun and Vineeth, sustained serious stab injuries.

The police filed the chargesheet in September 2018, alleging political rivalry and criminal conspiracy behind the murder. However, the trial remained delayed due to multiple legal challenges, the prolonged absconding of key accused for several years, and the disappearance of crucial court records.