Wednesday, February 9 2005 18:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The prosecution in the Best Bakery case today (Feb 9, 2005) received a jolt when an witness turned hostile in a special court in Mumbai saying he had not seen the violent crowd torching the bakery on March 1, 2002.

Kanchanbhai Mali, the 43rd witness, went back on his deposition before the Vadodara court by telling the special court in Mumbai that he had not witnessed any incidents of arson on the ill-fated day.

Mali, whose residence is barely 40 feet from the bakery, had told the Vadodara court earlier that he had seen a group of persons setting fire to the bakery.

However, he told the court today that his deposition before the Vadodara court was a hearsay and not an eyewitness account.

Earlier, prime witness Zaheera Sheikh and her brothers Nafitullah and Nasibulla had turned hostile.

Hearing Zaheera's plea the Supreme Court had ordered retrial of the Best Bakery case in a special court at Mumbai.