A recantation is the renunciation or formal and public withdrawal of a prior statement of a witness
It isn’t a ground for granting a new trial because it makes a mockery of the court and would place the investigation of truth at the mercy of unscrupulous witnesses. Moreover, retractions are easy to extort out of witnesses. In contrast, their previous statements are made under oath, in the presence of a judge, and with the opportunity to cross-examine. Therefore, the original testimony should be given more credence.
However, the exception to this rule is when aside from the testimony of the retracting witness, there is no other evidence to support the conviction of the accused. In this case, the retraction by the sole witness creates a doubt in the mind of the judge as to the guilt of the accused. A new trial may be granted. But if there is other evidence independent of the retracted testimony, there can be no new trial.
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