In the Jessica Lal murder case, the main accused has been punished but the case of the hostile witnesses as an accompanying side show would have a very significant impact on the way future criminal cases would be tried. The witnesses in this case have not been let off but by the same token the concerned investigative officers of the police also should not be let off because the testimonials of these witnesses had not been used properly to make their case foolproof in the first place. As a natural followup to this side show, the court must also issue notices of explanation on the investigation officials also. Without it, punishing the witness as a sequel to a criminal case will ruin the prosecution's will to book the criminals and deal a body blow to the rickety criminal-justice system in India.
