During the hearing of the Abhimanyu murder case on March 18, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court remarked that the disappearance of documents from courts was not a novel occurrence. Eleven crucial documents, including a 5,000-page chargesheet, post-mortem certificate, wound certificate, and statements of the accused and witnesses, reportedly went missing in January 2019.
In in the Abhimanyu murder case, the prosecution has submitted copies of previously missing documents the eleven crucial documents such as a 5,000-page chargesheet, post-mortem certificate, wound certificate, and statements of the accused and witnesses to the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Monday (March 18). This move comes after the mysterious disappearance of crucial case files, went missing in January 2019, sparking concerns and delaying the trial process.
Abhimanyu M, a 21-year-old student and leader of the Students Federation of India (SFI), met a tragic end on July 2, 2018, when he was fatally stabbed. The incident, which took place at Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, allegedly involved activists from the now-outlawed Popular Front of India and its student wing, the Campus Front of India, along with members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). The brutal attack, reportedly triggered by a dispute over poster placement on the campus, shook the local community and highlighted the rising campus violence in Kerala.
The case took a perplexing turn when eleven critical documents, including the extensive 5,000-page charge-sheet, post-mortem report, and statements from witnesses and accused, vanished from the court records ahead of the trial. This loss not only raised questions about the integrity of the judicial process but also hindered the case’s progression.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Control Room (Kochi city), S T Sureshkumar, who submitted the charge-sheet, named 26 individuals in connection with the murder, identifying 13 as directly involved. The missing documents saga added another layer of complexity to the already intricate case.
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On March 18, 2024, the prosecution stepped forward, submitting certified copies of the 11 missing documents to the trial court. Despite the defense’s objections to the redacted documents, the court accepted the submission, stating,
“Any discrepancies from the previously received documents can be addressed separately.”
This decision marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing trial, with the court scheduling further considerations for March 25.
The revelation that documents had disappeared became widely known when the Principal Sessions Court, led by Judge Honey M Varghese, called for objections to be raised by March 17, following a directive from the Kerala High Court on March 7 to resubmit the documents. The High Court’s intervention came after Judge Varghese reported the missing files on December 1, 2023, leading to an order for the documents’ “reconstruction.”
The court’s recent actions reflect a commitment to ensuring that the trial proceeds without further undue delays. As the community watches closely, the upcoming court sessions are expected to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding Abhimanyu’s untimely death and bring justice to the forefront of this tragic case.
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