Sheena Bora murder case: Bombay HC rejects bail plea of Indrani Mukerjea

The Bombay high court (HC) on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of Indrani Mukerjea, who is being prosecuted for allegedly murdering her daughter Sheena Bora.

A single-judge bench of justice Nitin Sambre rejected Indrani’s plea on merits. Though the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court – which is trying her along with her ex-husbands Peter Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna, and driver Shyamvar Rai for Bora’s murder – had rejected her bail applications multiple times, this was Indrani’s first attempt to seek bail from high court on merits.

According to CBI, on April 24, 2012, Indrani, Khanna and Rai allegedly strangulated Sheena and later disposed of her body in a forested area near Gagode village of Raigad district.

The murder came to light in August 2015 when Khar police arrested Rai, purportedly while he was attempting to dispose of an illegal fire arm. After Rai revealed about the murder to the police on August 25, 2015, Indrani was arrested and has since been lodged in the Byculla women’s jail. Khanna was arrested after she revealed his alleged involvement in the commission of the crime.

Peter Mukerjea was arrested on November 19, 2015, after the case was transferred to CBI, which claimed that the former media baron, too, was a part of the conspiracy to eliminate Bora. Justice Sambre had granted bail to Peter Mukerjea last year on February 6.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai sessions court rejected Indrani’s anticipatory bail application, seeking protection from arrest in connection with a case registered by Nagpada police station for rioting inside Byculla women’s jail after the prison guards allegedly assaulted a murder accused, Manjula Shetye, to death.