Sheena Bora murder trial: Indrani Mukerjea fears she may die without meeting her daughter

Vidhie is considered a crucial witness in the case, as she is believed to have knowledge of the tensions between Indrani, Sheena, and Rahul Mukerjea.

Indrani Mukerjea, accused of murdering her daughter Sheena Bora in 2012, told a special court on Wednesday that she fears she may die without seeing her 26-year-old daughter, Vidhie. Mukerjea, 53, expressed her anguish a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitted a priority list of 69 witnesses for examination, which did not include Vidhie.

Sheena Bora murder trial: Indrani Mukerjea tells court she fears dying without meeting daughter Vidhie

Mukerjea’s advocate questioned the CBI’s stance, stating that it was unclear whether Vidhie would be called as a witness. “How can we plan a holistic defence unless we know who the witnesses are?” said her lawyer, Ranjeet Sangle, arguing that the uncertainty was causing significant prejudice to the defence and inconvenience to the court. He urged the prosecution to clarify its position on whether Vidhie would testify.

In 2022, Vidhie had filed a plea seeking to meet her mother, which was denied by the court on the grounds that she could not meet any witness who had not yet been examined by the prosecution. Her statement is part of the chargesheet filed by the CBI.

Vidhie, the daughter of Indrani and her second husband, Sanjeev Khanna, is Sheena Bora’s half-sister. Khanna, who was also accused in the case, was granted bail in June. Indrani, Khanna, and their former driver, Shyamvar Rai, stand accused of murdering Bora, allegedly due to personal and financial disputes.

The CBI asserted that its priority witness list is based on the chargesheet and remains unchanged. The prosecution maintained that these witnesses would be examined first and sought additional time for further submissions, clarifying that there was no intention to delay the trial.

In her 2022 plea, Vidhie had argued that it was her fundamental right to reside with and care for her mother, citing Indrani’s health condition. “Vidhie’s mother is suffering from irreversible cerebral ischemia, she is frail and requires proper personal and medical care, which Vidhie would like to provide,” the plea stated. It also noted that Indrani has no family in Mumbai apart from Vidhie. She further claimed she had been deprived of her mother’s companionship and affection since Indrani’s arrest.

Vidhie is considered a crucial witness in the case, as she is believed to have knowledge of the tensions between Indrani, Sheena, and Rahul Mukerjea, Sheena’s fiancé and Peter Mukerjea’s son from a previous marriage.

Sheena Bora, 24, was allegedly strangled inside a car in April 2012 by Indrani, with the assistance of Khanna and Rai. Her body was reportedly burnt and disposed of in a forest in Raigad district. The crime came to light in 2015 when Rai, arrested in an unrelated case, confessed to his involvement in the murder.

Following Rai’s confession, Indrani and Khanna were arrested in August 2015, with Peter Mukerjea taken into custody three months later. All accused are currently out on bail.