One more witness in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case turned hostile during the trial at the Special Additional District and Sessions Court (Marad cases) here on Tuesday taking the tally of prosecution witness turning adverse to 50.
Special judge R. Narayana Pisharadi, declared Anshith Narayanan, 22, of Azhiyoor, hostile under Section 154 (question by party to his own witness) of the Indian Evidence Act. He had retracted the statement he had previously given to the Nadapuram First Class Judicial Magistrate Subramanian Namboorthiri under Section 164 (recording of confessions and statements) of the Code of Criminal Procedure on June 5, 2012.
The case related to a gang hacking to death the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader at Onchiyam on May 4, 2012. The prosecution had earlier given up examining this witness but later requested the court to do so as his statements had been recorded before a Magistrate.
The witness was to testify that he had seen first accused M.C. Anoop and fourth accused T.K. Rajeesh in the Toyota Innova MUV while he was proceeding to the house of Thasma Breeze Company manager at 8.30 p.m. on May 2, 2012. The 28t accused P.M. Ramesh aka Kuttu and 29th accused K.P. Dipin aka Kuttan had been with him at that time, he had then told the Magistrate.
Anshith had also then given a statement that he had seen third accused N.K. Sunil Kumar aka Kodi Suni and others loading weapons into the vehicle and that Dipin had told him that these swords were meant for T.P. Chandrasekharan. Later, Dipin had concealed the sack containing the weapons in an unoccupied house. The sack had been shifted in the morning the next day.
He had also identified Kodi Suni, Anoop, and K.K. Mohammed Shafi (fifth accused) at the special investigation team camp office at Vadakara.
However, during deposition he failed to identify the accused. He admitted he knew Rameeh and Dipin, both residents of Azhiyoor. He said he had given a statement tutored by the investigators as he feared that the police would arraign him as an accused.
Anshith said that he ran a bakery in Coimbatore for two years and he used to visit home every month. He had arrived in the first week of May after Vishu.
The prosecution had given up examining Anshith, who was witness number 17, along with K.K. Subin (prosecution 28), and K. Radhakrishnan ( 33rd witness) after it sensed they could turn favourable to the accused.
