Phoolan Devi murder: Warrants issued against absent witnesses

Angered by the non-appearance of three prosecution witnesses in the high-profile Phoolan Devi murder case, a Delhi court issued warrants against them through Senior Superintendent of Police, Haridwar.

Angered by the non-appearance of three prosecution witnesses in the high-profile Phoolan Devi murder case, a Delhi court on Monday issued warrants against them through Senior Superintendent of Police, Haridwar.

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"Witnesses Ramesh Chand Aggarwal, Satish Cahudhary and Laxman Singh are absent despite service of summons, issue bailable warrants of sum of Rs 20,000," Additional Sessions Judge Brijesh Kumar Garg of a fast track court said.

All the three witnesses, hailing from the hill state of Uttarakhand, were to appear in the court to record their testimonies.

The court has sought a report from Haridwar SSP in by March 5. Meanwhile, Deepa Verma, assistant director of Forensic Science Laboratory, recorded her testimony.

Verma, appearing as the 135th prosecution witness, said that at the request of Delhi Police she had inspected the judicial file of a criminal case, registered against Sher Singh Rana in the court Chief Judicial Magistrate at Haridwar.

"I had examined alleged signatures of Sher Singh Rana (an accused in the Phoolan Devi murder case) which was in the judicial file of an Excise Case lodged against him," she said.

Rana along with 11 others had allegedly conspired and killed the Samajwadi Party MP on July 25 in 2001 to avenge the 1981 Behmai massacre, in which she had killed 17 people of the Thakur community.