The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court rejected prime accused Indrani Mukerjea’s bail plea on merits in the Sheena Bora murder case.
Ms. Mukerjea was arrested in August 2015 and has been lodged at the Byculla Jail from October the same year for allegedly killing her daughter Sheena on April 24, 2012.
Special CBI Court Judge J.C. Jagdale rejected the bail plea on Wednesday and said, “some important case witnesses like Rahul Mukerjea [son of accused Peter Mukerjea], and Vidhi [daughter of Ms. Mukerjea] and co-accused Sanjeev Khanna [her ex husband], are yet to be examined”.
The court noted, “There is no doubt that the accused [Ms. Mukerjea] is an influential and wealthy person. Therefore, the possibility of influencing prosecution witnesses cannot be ruled out,” the judge said.
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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 is no scientific evidence to prove the murder took place.
It was contended that there have been several inconsistencies and contradictions in the testimonies of witnesses like that of 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 Rai has falsified or suffered from fatal infirmities due to cross-examination of the said witness.”
The judge also said that at this stage of the trial, the court cannot 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 45-day interim medical bail sought on the grounds of the outbreak of coronavirus.
The previous time, while rejecting Ms. Mukerjea’s bail, Judge Jagdale had said, “She has been charged under a very serious offence. Although majority of the trial is completed, the key witness, Rahul Mukherjea, is yet to depose. If she is granted bail, she can tamper with the evidence and witnesses.”
