The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.
Ms. Mukerjea was arrested in August 2015, and has been lodged in the Byculla jail from October the same year. She was charged with killing her daughter Sheena on April 24, 2012.
Special CBI court Judge J.C. Jagdale, while rejecting her bail plea, said, “Some important case witnesses like Rahul Mukerjea (son of co-accused Peter Mukerjea), Vidhi (daughter of Ms. Mukerjea), and co-accused Sanjeev Khanna (her ex-husband) are yet to be examined.”
The court said there was no doubt that the accused (Ms. Mukerjea) was an influential and wealthy person. “Therefore, the possibility of influencing prosecution witnesses cannot be ruled out.”
Ms. Mukerjea sought bail on the grounds that the case was “false and baseless” and she had nearly 120 documents to prove it. Her lawyer had also argued that there was no scientific evidence to prove that the murder took place. It was contended that there had been several inconsistencies and contradictions in the testimonies of witnesses like her driver Shyamvar Rai, who turned into an approver.
The Judge, however, said, “At this point, the court cannot conclude that the evidence led by Mr. Rai has falsified or suffered from fatal infirmities due to cross-examination of the said witness.” The court also said at this stage of the trial, the court could not pass a final conclusion about the value of the witnesses and said the accused and the advocate should cooperate to finish the trial.
On July 15, the court had rejected her plea for a 45-day interim medical bail sought on the grounds of the outbreak of COVID-19.
On November 3, 2018, while rejecting Ms. Mukerjea’s bail, Judge Jagdale had said, “She has been charged with a very serious offence. Although majority of the trial is completed, the key witness, Mr. Rahul Mukherjea, is yet to depose. If she is granted bail, she can tamper with the evidence and witnesses.”
