In a deft move, the prosecution in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case put off the examination of two of its witnesses before the trial court on Wednesday.
This was after the prosecution suspected the fidelity of the witnesses, Anshith Naraynan and K.K. Subin, both residents of Azhiyoor, who had earlier given statements under Section 164 (recording of confessions and statements) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.PC). “We had an apprehension that the witnesses could turn hostile. So their deposition was deferred for the time being,” said C. K.Sreedharan, special prosecutor.
The case related to a killer gang hacking to death the Revolutionary Marxist Party leader at Onchiyam on May 4, 2012. Both Anshith and Subin were present before the Special Additional District and Sessions Court (Marad Cases) on Wednesday. However, special prosecutor P. Kumarankutty told special judge R. Narayana Pisharadi that the prosecution did not want to examine them. On Tuesday, he had said that the witnesses had failed to respond to the summons by the police for examination. It was also not sure that the witnesses would appear in court. The prosecution would not want to take a risk examining them after two other key witnesses, T.K. Sumesh, aka Kochakkalan Sumesh, and V. Vijesh, turned adverse last week.
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A statement given by Anshith said that he had seen the Toyota Innova MUV used by the assailants on the roadside at 8.30 p.m. on May 2, 2012 and that he had seen the 28th and 29th accused, P.M. Rameesh and K.P. Dipin, handing over swords to the first and third accused, M.C. Anoop and Kodi Suni, respectively. The court on Wednesday examined K.K. Renish of Kallamala, another witness.