A trial court in Kerala on Tuesday, December 30, acquitted all the 19 individuals accused in the murder of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist Vishal.
The Additional District and Sessions Court III in Mavelikara acquitted the accused stating that the prosecution failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The verdict was delivered by Judge P P Pooja.
The case pertains to an attack that took place on July 16, 2012, near Christian College in Chengannur. Vishal, then a 19-year-old degree student at NSS College, Konni, sustained fatal stab injuries in the incident. Two other ABVP activists were also injured.
Twenty persons, including a minor, were named in the charge sheet. Nineteen of them faced trial. The investigation, initially handled by the local police, was later transferred to the Crime Branch.
The prosecution informed the court that it would move to a higher court challenging the acquittal.
Following the verdict, the ABVP’s Kerala unit announced that it would pursue further legal options. The organisation alleged lapses in the investigation and claimed that key witness testimonies had been altered.They also alleged that the accused had links with Campus Front, the student wing of the now-banned Popular Front of India.
ABVP leaders at the national level criticised the judgment and said the organisation would continue its legal efforts against the acquittal.