NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has issued a stern warning to witnesses attempting to mislead trial proceedings in a criminal case, directing that any such conduct be dealt with strictly by the trial court.
Remarking that the integrity of the judicial process must be preserved, a bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and N.V. Anjaria observed: "If the trial court finds that any witness has tried to take sides in their deposition without being truthful to the court, the court shall take suo motu cognisance of such conduct and initiate action in their individual capacity."
The observation came amid submissions by senior advocate Vipin Sanghi, appearing for the petitioner, that three private prosecution witnesses had turned hostile after the accused/respondent no.2 was released from custody.