People don't stand for truth as society's declining character: SC

Due to deteriorating character of society, people nowadays are not ready to stand for truth, the Supreme Court has observed as it asked the Maharashtra government why it was relying on a large number of witnesses for oral testimony in the 2017 Bhiwandi corporator murder case.

- PTI

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh was hearing a bail plea of Prashant Bhaskar Mahatre, the alleged main conspirator in the Congress corporator murder case.

The bench directed the state's counsel to furnish a list of crucial witnesses which it plans to examine to bring home the conviction of the accused in the case.

"Due to the deteriorating character of society, people nowadays are not ready to stand for truth. Why are you relying on the testimonies of so many witnesses? Yes, there is a threat of gangsters pressuring the witnesses, who later turn hostile as unfortunately there is no witness protection programme in this country," the bench said after the state government's counsel submitted that they need to examine 75 witnesses out of the 200 they have stated in the chargesheet.