The Supreme Court (SC) has called for strong action against prosecution witnesses who turn hostile because of inducement, threat, or coercion. Delivering a verdict in a murder trial from Madhya Pradesh, the SC said that the system couldn’t allow a witness to “perjure himself by resiling (sic) from the testimony given in court on oath.”

The biggest issue in the Indian judicial system is the number of prosecution witnesses turning hostile thus dealing a debilitating blow to the case. Many criminals have walked away after their henchmen manage to harass, intimidate, and threaten key witnesses who do not get police, political, or identity protection.

The Jessica Lall, Best Bakery, and the case from Madhya Pradesh all had elements of witnesses upsetting the prosecution case. The SC gave at least one hostile witness in the Best Bakery case an imprisonment for perjury; women’s rights groups have largely protested this decision.