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Sheena Bora murder accused Peter Mukerjea released on bail after four years in Mumbai prison
Peter was granted bail by Bombay High Court on February 6 on medical grounds and also because the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to prove Mukerjea’s involvement in Sheena Bora’s alleged murder.
Media baron Peter Mukerjea, accused in Sheena Bora murder case, was released from Arthur road jail on Friday evening. Peter was granted bail by Bombay High Court on February 6 on medical grounds and also because the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to prove Mukerjea’s involvement in Sheena Bora’s alleged murder.
However, the court had stayed its order by six week on the request of CBI to approach Supreme Court to challenge the order. But CBI did not approach the supreme court and Peter was granted bail.
Even after obtaining stay, the agency could not obtain restraining orders from the Apex court against the release. As the time period expired, Peter’s family and legal team began process for his release on Friday. After completion of all the formalities, Peter was released from Aurther road jail on Friday evening at around 8:30.
Justice Nitin Sambre, had while granting bail to Peter observed, “From the call data record [showing calls between Mukerjea, Indrani and Khanna] it is difficult to infer that the same was in connection with the commission of the crime.”
On the evidence presented in Mukerjea’s emails, Sambre had said they didn’t prove criminal intent. Finally, the judge noted that at the time of Bora’s disappearance and on the date of her alleged murder, Mukerjea had been in England.
“No explanation is forthcoming why five statements of the approver were required to be recorded and why the applicant [Mukerjea] was implicated and arrested six months later [after the investigation into the other accused was almost complete],” said Sambre.
Mukerjea is one of four accused in Bora’s murder. The others are his ex-wife Indrani Bora, Indrani’s ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and Shyamvar Rai, who used to work as a driver for Indrani and Mukerjea. Rai has since turned approver. Bora – who was Indrani’s daughter, but was introduced as her sister – went missing in 2012.
According to the police, Indrani and Khanna strangled Bora on April 24, 2012, and disposed her body the next day, in Gagode village of Raigad district. The police learnt of the murder from Rai when he was arrested in a separate case in August 2015.
