The Additional District and Sessions Court III, Mavelikara, on Tuesday acquitted all the accused in a case relating to the murder of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist Vishal in 2012. The verdict was delivered by judge P.P. Pooja.
Vishal, a 19-year-old degree student at NSS College, Konni, sustained stab injuries in an attack allegedly carried out by members of the Campus Front, the student wing of the Popular Front of India, near Christian College, Chengannur, on July 16, 2012, where he had gone to welcome first-year degree students. Two other ABVP activists were also injured in the attack.
A total of 20 people, including one minor, were charge-sheeted in the case. Of these, 19 faced trial and were acquitted by the court, which observed that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt. The case, initially investigated by local police, was later handed over to the Crime Branch.
The prosecution said it would file an appeal against the verdict in a higher court.
