Sheena Bora murder: HC grants bail to Peter Mukerjea, stays its order for 6 weeks | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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Sheena Bora murder: HC grants bail to Peter Mukerjea, stays its order for 6 weeks

ByKanchan Chaudhari, Mumbai
Feb 07, 2020 12:06 AM IST

The Bombay high court (HC) on Thursday granted bail to former media baron Peter Mukerjea on medical grounds and because the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to prove Mukerjea’s involvement in Sheena Bora’s alleged murder. However, the court has stayed its order by six weeks during which time the CBI may approach Supreme Court to challenge the order.

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Justice Nitin Sambre granted Mukerjea, 64, bail on Thursday against a personal bond of 2 lakh. Mukerjea may not contact any other witness in the case, including his children Rahul and Vidhi. He is also required to regularly attend the murder trial and will need the court’s permission to travel.

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Previously, in April 2019, the court had allowed Mukerjea to stay at Asian Heart Institute for ongoing medical treatment, but had rejected his bail plea.

Representing Mukerjea, advocate Shrikant Shivade argued that Mukerjea had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery at Asian Heart Institute on March 25, 2019 and should be released on bail in view of his ailment and advanced age. Shivade also argued there was no evidence to prove Mukerjea’s involvement in Bora’s alleged murder.

Additional solicitor general Anil Singh, appearing for the CBI, had opposed the bail plea, contending the trial was at an advanced stage and Mukerjea may influence witnesses if released. Singh also submitted call data records and e-mails to and from Mukerjea to prove Mukerjea disapproved of Bora’s relationship with his son Rahul, and his involvement in the conspiracy to kill Bora.

However, justice Sambre said, “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 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.

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