Manjunath case: Two witnesses turn hostile

AMID ALLEGATIONS and counter allegations of influencing the witnesses in the sensational S. Manjunath murder case, two of the prosecution witnesses, Rajinder Singh and his wife Balwinder Kaur, turned hostile on Thursday. They refused to verify their statements, recorded before the investigating officer (IO) of the case.

AMID ALLEGATIONS and counter allegations of influencing the witnesses in the sensational S. Manjunath murder case, two of the prosecution witnesses, Rajinder Singh and his wife Balwinder Kaur, turned hostile on Thursday.
They refused to verify their statements, recorded before the investigating officer (IO) of the case.

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However, IB Singh, from the prosecution side, claimed the prosecution succeeded in making the hostile witnesses admit certain vital facts during cross-examination, which substantiated the case. He said a perjury case might be filed against the hostile witnesses.

District government counsel Chandra Mohan Singh and IOC advocate Jitendra Pal Upadhyay said the hostility of the witnesses would not affect the case at all as the prosecution was equipped with some vital evidences. Defense counsel VD Pandey said the prosecution was pressurizing the witnesses who only told the court what was true. The trial would continue on July 7.

The trial of the sensational Manjunath murder case was held in the court of the district and sessions judge SMA Abidi today. The prosecution produced three witnesses, Rajinder Singh, his wife Balwinder Kaur and the manager of a hotel in Gola, RC Pandey.