Did Mekhail know Khanna? Defence finds contradiction

MUMBAI: The defence lawyers in the Sheena Bora murder case used Mekhail Bora’s interview given to news channels after Indrani Mukerjea’s arrest to contradict his deposition in the court.

Lawyers Niranjan Mundargi and Shreyansh Mithare, who represent Sanjeev Khanna, played an interview Bora gave to a news channel a day after Khanna’s arrest on August 27, 2015 in the court on Friday. Khanna is former husband of Indrani Mukerjea and second accused in the murder case.

In the alleged interview, Bora was questioned by a reporter about the role of Khanna in the case or if he had ever met him or seen him before. Bora in response to the question said, “I have never seen him. Actually this is the first time I have heard his name.” Citing the interview, the defence questioned him on his deposition.

Mekhail had earlier told the court that Indrani had introduced Khanna to him as her client when Mekhail came to Mumbai during a break from Banglore in 2007. Mekhail claimed that on the instruction of Indrani, Khanna had taken him to a pub where introduced him to alcohol. Mekhail also claimed that after consuming alcohol he lost his sense and the next day he found himself locked in a room in a mental hospital. He alleged that he was given narcotic substance and there was a plot to declare him unstable, hatched by Indrani and Khanna. The defence claimed that Mekhail improved on his statement only to falsely implicate Khanna on the instruction of prosecuting agency.

The defence confronted Mekhail with his interview to news channel which contradicted his story given to the court and prosecution agency.