Jodhpur: The CBI today submitted a list of 18 witnesses to be examined during the initial period of trial in the Bhanwari Devi abduction and murder case.  The trial will begin on June 23 in the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate's court here and the 18 prosecution witnesses will be examined in the first six days.  

“We have provided a list of 18 witnesses to be called by the court from our side. They will be examined from June 23 to 28,” said CBI counsel Ashok Joshi.  The list includes a judicial magistrate, scientists of the Forensic Science Laboratory, staffers of the Jodhpur Circuit and family members of Bhanwari Devi, the counsel said.  

Earlier on Monday, the CBI had provided a list of 298 witnesses to be tried during the trial of the case.  “We have provided the list also to the defence counsel on their request,” Joshi said.

The ACJM had pronounced charges against all 16 accused on May 26 in their presence except absconder Indra Bishnoi.  The trial of the case was to begin on January 15, 2013, but was delayed following a slew of revision petitions from both sides.

Bhanwari Devi was abducted from Jodhpur's Bilara area on September 1, 2011 and murdered. Her body was handed over to another gang which burnt and dumped it in a canal.