Mumbai
'No fingerprints on guns used to kill Pramod Mahajan'

Mumbai, July 26 (PTI): A fingerprint expert on Wednesday told a local court, conducting the murder trial of BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan in which his younger brother Pravin is the accused, that the latter's fingerprints were not found on the murder-weapon.

Pramod had allegedly been shot by Pravin on April 22 last year and is being tried on charges of murder and tresspassing.

Fingerprint expert Dr Rekha Vaidya told additional sessions judge Shrihari Davare that fingerprints could only be detected on smooth and polished surfaces like glass. The pistol, which was used to murder Pramod, was old and probably that is why it did not have the fingerprints of the accused, she said.

The pressure exerted by a person, is another important factor, on which whether a fingerprint will come depends, she said.

The glass, in which Pramod's wife Rekha had allegedly served Pravin water just before the incident however, bore fingerprints that matched with Pravin's, she further told the court.

The doctor who had admitted Pramod at Hinduja hospital also recorded his evidence.

Dr Kaustubh Narsimhapura told the court that the BJP leader was conscious when he was brought to the hospital in an injured state. He had complained of chest and abdominal pains and his vest was completely drenched with blood.

While cross-examining him, defence alleged that the case papers prepared at the hospital had been tampered with.