The prosecution in the Best Bakery case has informed the trial court that one of its witnesses had disappeared from police custody and therefore will not be available to tender evidence.

The prosecution has already examined 27 witnesses and among them were two eye-witnesses.

The sudden disappearance of a witness has come as a surprise in legal circles as great care had been taken to ensure their security in view of Supreme Court directives.

Also Read Maharashtra to offer shelter, security to witnesses

The apex court had ordered retrial of this case in Mumbai after eye-witness Zaheera Shaikh informed that she and her family had not spoken the truth before the trial court in Gujarat as they had been threatened.

Defence lawyers on Wednesday urged the court to provide them with a copy of the prosecution's application about the alleged disappearance of the witness. The prosecution, however, maintained that the contents of application were not relevant to the case and were confidential.