Kochi | A court on Monday framed charges against 16 accused in the 2018 murder of college student Abhimanyu M here.
Ernakulam District and Sessions Judge K K Balakrishnan completed the pre-trial procedure by framing charges against the accused.
Abhimanyu, a BSc Chemistry student at Maharaja's College and an activist of the CPI(M)'s student wing -- the Students' Federation of India (SFI) -- was stabbed to death in July 2018.
According to the prosecution, the murder was carried out by members of the Campus Front of India, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the Popular Front of India (PFI) following a dispute over graffiti painted by Abhimanyu to welcome freshers to the college.
Sixteen accused, who are alleged to have been directly involved in the murder, are facing trial in the case.
A separate investigation is underway against nine others accused of harbouring the assailants.
The charge sheet against them is yet to be filed.
All 16 accused were present in court on Monday.
The court read out and explained the charges in Malayalam, following which all the accused pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.
The case has been posted to July 24 for further proceedings.
The murder of Abhimanyu had triggered widespread protests and intensified political tensions on college campuses across Kerala.
The trial was delayed after around 11 case records, including the charge sheet and post-mortem report, went missing from the court.
Subsequently, with the court's permission, the prosecution reconstructed the missing documents, paving the way for the commencement of the trial.
