Two more prosecution witness today turned hostile during cross examination in the Sankararaman murder case, in which seers Jayendra Saraswati and his junior Vijayendra Saraswati are the main accused.
Eighteen of the 24 accused were present in the court when hearing began before the Principal District and Sessions Judge T Ramaswamy here.
The absentees included the two seers who have been charged under various IPC sections for criminal conspiracy and murder.
During the trial today, three witnesses were examined and cross-examined, of whom two turned hostile, contradicting their statements given earlier to police.
A total of 121 witnesses have so far been examined since commencement of the trial, of whom 64 have turned hostile. The Supreme Court had shifted the case here from Chengalpattu district court on a petition filed by Jayendra Saraswathi in October 2005.
The judge adjourned the hearing till December 21.
There would be hearing for three days in a row from that date.
Sankararaman, manager in Varadarajaperumal temple in Kancheepuram, was allegedly murdered on the temple premises on September 3, 2004.
