{
  "id": 1957495,
  "title": "Abhimanyu murder case: Ernakulam Sessions Court to announce schedule of trial on August 21",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/abhimanyu-murder-case-ernakulam-sessions-court-to-announce-schedule",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T15:01:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/abhimanyu-murder-case-ernakulam-sessions-court-to-announce-schedule-of-trial-on-august-21/article71365373.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Friday, August 21, 2026, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court plans to reveal the schedule for the trial in the Abhimanyu murder case. During a Wednesday hearing, the court dismissed the defense's request for additional time until Monday, August 24, 2026, to verify the case-related documents. The prosecution argued against the request, claiming the defense was attempting to extend the trial by seeking more time to verify the documents. The court instructed the prosecution to submit the documents to the Chief Ministerial Officer for verification. The trial was postponed to Friday to announce the schedule. The Kerala High Court previously mandated that the trial must conclude within four months, as requested by Abhimanyu's mother, Bhoopathy, after the accused failed to attend the last two hearings. All 16 accused pleaded not guilty when the charges were initially read on July 6, 2026. They are accused of murder, causing hurt with dangerous weapons, criminal intimidation, destruction of evidence, rioting, and unlawful assembly. Despite the police filing the chargesheet in September 2018, the trial has been delayed due to various factors.",
  "summary": "The Kerala High Court had earlier directed that the trial be completed within four months, on a petition from the victim’s mother",
  "key_points": [
    "Ernakulam Sessions Court to announce trial schedule on August 21",
    "Defense request for more time denied by court",
    "Trial must conclude within four months as per High Court order"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}