They may end up in a logical conclusion in the coming days even though a section of lawyers and police officials are skeptical about case’s outcome, as some witnesses have turned hostile.

Legal experts dealing with the case feel that verdict would be historic and exemplary in the judicial history. As many as 178 witnesses are to be questioned in courts, which had already sentenced three to four years’ imprisonment to six persons. All these convicts were mostly mediators and donors and are out of jail as they had already served their sentences.

The big fish, which includes Dr PK Sareen and other top city doctors, are facing serious charges of human organ transplantation in violation of law. “The witnesses who have turned hostile will not affect the case, which is set to reach a logical conclusion. The process of recording of statements of many witnesses is on,” said Additional District Attorney (ADA) RK Salwan.

SSP Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, who was SP City-1 in 2003 when the racket was unearthed, confirmed that some witnesses had turned hostile. “Yes, some witnesses went hostile and some missing. But the legal authorities never sought our help to trace them. If they write to us, we will help them. I will not comment more as the case is sub-judice,” he said.

Salwan said the accused, mostly doctors and donors, had also sought to include recipients of kidneys in the list of accused, but their applications were turn down by various courts, citing legal provisions. “There might be some delays due to such pleas, but the case is heading towards logical conclusion,” said legal luminaries dealing the case.

The cases relates to a transplant racket in which the top city doctors had pocketed lakhs by luring poor people to donate their kidneys to influential persons. Various doctors, bureaucrats, lawyers and political leaders were involved in the case.

The transplant operations were conducted at Kakkar Hospital, situated in the heart of city, where Dr Sareen was employed. Other doctors whose names cropped up in the scam included Dr OP Aggarwal and Dr Jagdeesh Gargi, who were booked and arrested under the Human Organ Transplantation Act.

They were accused of not routing transplantation cases through mandatory authorisation committee. Dr Gargi was then head of the Forensic Sciences Department and one of main accused in the scam.

Out of the total 178 witnesses in the case, many have even died and a few declared PO, leading to delay in justice delivery. A large number of witnesses have deposed before the court and others have been cross-examined. “The case is taking a long time because of the large number of witnesses,” said another lawyer. Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh completed the inquiry and case was submitted before the judicial court for trial.

Recently, Sikandar Ali, belonging to Delhi’s labour camp, was taken away by Sukshil Arya on the lure of a job, but he ended up at Kakkar Hospital. His kidney was removed and given to Arya for a huge amount.