Manjula Shetye murder case: Court rejects plea of undertrial to undergo IVF

Shegaokar is one of six former staff members of Byculla Jail booked for assaulting Manjula Shetye, an inmate of the jail, to death in 2017. The court rejected her plea based on the objections raised by the prosecution that if her plea was allowed, it would cause inconvenience in trial.

MUMBAI: The sessions court has rejected the plea of Sheetal Shegaokar, an accused in Manjula Shetye murder case, to undergo IVF procedure at a private hospital.

MISSING METHODE IMAGE - Mumbai, India - June 24, 2017 : 38-year-old Manjula Shetye who was allegedly murdered brutally in the Byculla prison by six jail officials.

Shegaokar is one of six former staff members of Byculla Jail booked for assaulting Manjula Shetye, an inmate of the jail, to death in 2017.

The court rejected her plea based on the objections raised by the prosecution that if her plea was allowed, it would cause inconvenience in trial.

Shegaokar was arrested in July 2017. In January, the 26-year-old moved an application seeking court’s permission to undergo In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) to conceive a child.

The court while rejecting her plea said, “There is substance in the contentions of the prosecution that if such a permission is granted, there will be other applications also about doctor visits, for police escorts and other relief. This will definitely burden the prosecution.”

In September 2021, Shegaokar had sought interim bail, contending that her family wanted her to bear a child. She had said that her in-laws and her husband wanted a child from her and therefore, she be released on interim bail for some days.

The court had rejected her plea, saying that if she was released, there was every possibility that she would abscond and not face trial. Therefore, on the ground that accused wants to give a child to her family, it will not be proper to release her on interim bail.

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Manjula Shetye murder case

Inmate Manjula Shetye was beaten up inside Byculla jail on June 23, 2017 around 11am. It came to light around 5.30pm when she was found unconscious in the bathroom. The police registered an FIR on June 25, 2017 after much hue and cry was made over the incident.

According to the prosecution, jailor Manisha Pokharkar and guards Bindu Naikade, Waseema Shaikh, Sheetal Shegaonkar, Surekha Gulve and Aarti Shingne – badly bashed up Shetye, which resulted in her death.