The Bombay High Court has rejected the bail plea of Indrani Mukerjea, who is the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.
While rejecting the bail application, the Bombay high court said, “It appears that the prosecution has taken enough precaution and provided the best of medical facilities to Mukerjea.”
The court further said that there is no convincing reason which warrants her release on medical grounds.
Indrani Mukerjea, who was married to former television head honcho Peter Mukerjea at one point, had filed a bail application in the Bombay high court after it was rejected by the Special CBI court in Mumbai on August 5, 2020.
Her bail plea was finally heard in November 2021, and it was denied by Justice NW Sambre. However, the reasons for the order have only recently been made public.
Apart from the medical grounds, Mukerjea was seeking bail through advocate Sana Raees Khan on the merits of the case and the fact that the trial had been delayed. Only 67 witnesses were called to testify in court in 2020. Khan contended that 195 witnesses in the case had yet to be examined.
Justice Sambre stated, “Even if the trial has begun, it is likely to take some time and cannot be a ground for release in the present case, particularly given the nature of the offence alleged to have been committed by Mukerjea, which requires the defence to examine such a large number of witnesses to prove the accused’s guilt. Even so, the trial was delayed due to a pandemic that lasted more than a year, which cannot be blamed on the prosecution.”
“There is enough material on record to infer the prima facie involvement of Mukerjea in the crime. I am informed that the trial is proceeding on a day-to-day basis,” Justice Sambre added.
While rejecting the bail on the merits, Justice Sambre stated, “This Court is completely in agreement with the reasons furnished by the court below. The material in the form of circumstantial evidence strongly supports Mukerjea’s direct involvement in the crime.”
Khan had questioned the testimony of the approver, Mukerjea’s driver, Shyamvar Rai. However, Justice Sambre stated that as far as Rai’s testimony and other evidence such as the CDR record are concerned, “the same is not required to be gone into at this stage, particularly when the trial is at a crucial stage. Important witnesses have yet to be examined, and the applicant’s release is likely to impede further prosecution in the trial.”
Justice Sambre agreed with the special court order, saying that “the reasons cited in the order are germane to the cause for the rejection of the bail with which I am in agreement.”
Khan has already filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against Justice Sambre’s order denying bail. With the detailed order now in hand, arguments in the Supreme Court will begin soon.
Read | Is Sheena Bora alive as claimed by Indrani Mukerjea? Forensic reports reveal the truth
Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/law/story/sheena-bora-murder-case-bombay-high-court-refuses-bail-to-indrani-mukerjea-1903298-2022-01-23
