Sheena Bora murder case: Bombay HC dismisses Indrani Mukerjea’s bail plea
Mukerjea is currently lodged at the Byculla women’s prison in Mumbai following her arrest in August 2015. This was her first attempt to seek bail from the High Court on merits of the case.
FollowThe Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to Indrani Mukerjea based on merits in the 2012 Sheena Bora murder case. Mukerjea’s lawyer Sana Khan said they will now move the Supreme Court for bail. The court rejected the bail plea after it gave a chance to Indrani Mukerjea's lawyer to withdraw. Advocate Sana Khan, appearing for Mukerjea, said that she needed to take instructions from Mukerjea.
Mukerjea is currently lodged at the Byculla women’s prison in Mumbai following her arrest in August 2015. This was her first attempt to seek bail from the High Court on merits of the case.
A special CBI court, which is conducting the trial in the murder case has denied bail to Indrani Mukerjea on multiple occasions.
Indrani Mukerjea who the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged is the biological mother of Sheena who she along with her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamwar Rai had killed in a car in April 2012. Her body the CBI said was then burnt and dumped in a forest in Pen, Raigad district. Bora was born out of Mukerjea’s previous relationship.
Former media baron Peter Mukerjea was also arrested for allegedly being part of the conspiracy but was granted bail by the High Court in February 2020. His marriage to Indrani Mukerjea ended during the period of incarceration.
Khan submitted that it was the first bail plea of Indrani, 50, on merits before the HC. Shall submitted that she had a good case for bail on merits pointing to various “contradictions, omissions and inconsistencies’’ in the case and evidence so far against her client.
She had argued that the CBI has no case on merit and citing Supreme Court orders, said since she is a woman, already in jail for “six years as a pre-trial punishment” with no end in near sight for the trial, it is a fit case for bail. Khan had said when co-accused and Rahul’s father, Peter Mukerjea can be granted bail, as he had been last February, so can Indrani.
Khan also argued that the trial will drag further as 67 witnesses have deposed in connection with the trial, far less than the list of 185 witnesses prepared by the CBI. She also mentioned that Indrani Mukerjea was unwell after staying for such a long duration in jail.
On the other hand, CBI prosecutor Sandesh Patil vehemently opposed the bail plea and told the court that there was direct evidence against Mukerjea in the case.
