Overview
- The Additional District and Sessions Court III in Mavelikkara, presided by Judge P. P. Pooja, acquitted the 19 defendants who stood trial in the 13-year-old case.
- Vishal, a 19-year-old ABVP activist, was stabbed near Christian College in Chengannur on July 16, 2012, and died the next day, with two companions seriously injured.
- Prosecutors cited a statement attributed to Vishal identifying Popular Front activists, an identity card recovered at the scene, and weapons seized on accused statements, but the court found the evidence insufficient.
- Several key witnesses, including activists from SFI and KSU, turned hostile during the trial, and the investigation shifted from local police to the Crime Branch during prolonged proceedings.
- ABVP says it will move the High Court and the prosecution has indicated an appeal, with parties awaiting the written judgment for the court’s detailed reasoning.