Phoolan case: Eye-witness fails to identify his own photo

Amid high drama, a hostile eye-witness in Phoolan Devi murder case on Tuesday failed to identify his own photograph taken soon after the incident.

Kalicharan, who has done many a flip-flop in court earlier, on Tuesday refused to identify a man seen standing close to the slain leader and her sister in the photograph.

At this the court prompted him to take a closer look. "Wear your glasses. Try to remember your face as it was seven years back and have a second look at these three photographs," said additional sessions Judge V K Bansal.

"In the photograph, the witness, who is present in the witness box, is clearly visible," the judge said, after Kalicharan refused to identify his own photograph.

Coverage: The Phoolan Devi Murder

The court's observations could not change Kalicharan's mind who stuck to his claim that he was unable to identify the persons featured in the photographs.

The hostile witnesses' refusal to identify himself in the photograph came at a time when the prosecution was trying to link him to the events that followed the MP's killing.

According to the prosecution, he was present at Phoolan Devi's official residence when she was shot at.

The special public prosecutor S K Saxena produced three photographs, taken just after the killing of Phoolan Devi on July 25 2001 at her 44, Ashoka Road residence in the Capital.

Phoolan, her sister Munni Devi and Kalicharan, personal assistant of the slain bandit-turned-MP were featured in the photographs, Saxena told the court, while asking the witness to identify them.

Kalicharan could not identify Munni Devi, which prompted the judge to remind him of consequences of lying before the court on oath. He also rubbished the prosecution claim that he had been won over by the accused persons.