Sheena Bora case: Peter Mukerjea walks out of jail
nMUMBAI: Former media baron Peter Mukerjea, who is an accused in the murder of his ex-wife Indrani’s daughter, Sheena Bora, was released from jail on Friday over a month after the Bombay High Court granted him bail on February 6 on medical grounds.
He was granted bail around five years after his arrest after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to explain why he was implicated months after the arrest of the three co-accused in 2015.
Mukerjea was not released immediately as Justice Nitin Sambre stayed the operation of the bail for six weeks on CBI counsel Sandesh Patil’s request to allow the agency to move the Supreme Court against it.
The Central Bureau of Investigation did not approach the Supreme Court, leading to Mukerjea’s release.
Mukerjea approached the high court after the special CBI court trying him, Indrani and the other accused in the case in April last year allowed him to continue to stay at a hospital for a cardiac rehabilitation programme but refused to release him on bail.
His lawyer, Shrikant Shivade, argued Mukerjea had undergone heart surgery in March 2019 and should be released on bail.
Additional solicitor general Anil Singh, who appeared for the CBI, opposed the bail plea saying the trial in the case was at an advanced stage.
He added if released on bail, Mukerjea was likely to influence witnesses, who were yet to be examined. Singh submitted Mukerjea’s call records and e-mails and said they indicated his involvement in the conspiracy to kill Bora. He added Mukerjea disapproved of Bora’s relationship with his son, Rahul.
Justice Sambre refused to accept the theory. “From the call data record [showing calls with the accused]... it is difficult to infer that the same was in connection with the commission of the crime in question.” He cited Mukerjea’s disapproval of the relationship between his son and Bora and added the e-mails relied upon by the prosecution to show his discontentment did not reflect his criminal intent.
Justice Sambre noted Mukerjea was in England when Bora disappeared and the disappearance was hidden from him for long.
He questioned Mukerjea’s arrest. “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,” he said. Indrani’s former driver, Shyamvar Rai, has become an approver in the case.