Kerala High Court refuses in-camera trial in the SFI activist Abhimanyu murder case but bars photography in the courtroom

7 October 2026

Justice C.S. Dias of the Kerala High Court dismissed CRL.MC No. 8147 of 2026, Mohammed J.I. and others v. State of Kerala, on Wednesday, 7 October 2026.
The petitioners, who face trial for the 2018 stabbing of SFI activist Abhimanyu at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, sought an in-camera trial.
The Court found no error or illegality in the Sessions Court order refusing it, and relied on Section 366 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, under which open court is the rule.
The trial court and police must ensure nobody photographs or video-records the trial or the accused inside the courtroom.
The trial court may consider restricting public entry while eyewitnesses are examined.