India, July 7 -- Nearly two and a half years after the death by suicide of 18-year-old IIT-Bombay student Darshan Solanki, the trial against the main accused, Armaan Iqbal Khatri, is finally set to move forward. Khatri, 20, withdrew his plea seeking quashing of the criminal proceedings against him, clearing the path for the trial to begin in a sessions court.

The development came during a hearing before a Bombay High Court bench of justice Ajay Gadkari and justice Rajesh Patil last Friday. Khatri's petition-filed in May 2023-was strongly opposed by both the Maharashtra government and Solanki's family. Following their arguments, Khatri chose to withdraw the plea, which the court permitted.

Solanki, a first-year Dalit student of chemical ...