PUDUCHERRY: Five more prosecution witnesses turned hostile during the trial in the Sankararaman murder case on Tuesday.
When the case came up for hearing before Principal and District Sessions judge K Ramalingam, only six of the 24 accused were present.
Seven witnesses were examined, following which five of them were declared hostile by special public prosecutor N Devadoss after they contradicted their earlier statements made before the police in Kancheepuram.
The judge adjourned the hearing to February 7.
It will be held for three days in a row and around 30 witnesses will be examined.
Of the 137 witnesses examined so far since the commencement of the trial here some two years ago, 72 have turned hostile.
Kanchi seers Jayendra Saraswathi and Vijayendra Saraswathi are the prime accused in hatching a conspiracy that led to the murder.