Today, On 12th July, the High Court addressed Indrani Mukerjea’s request to travel abroad, stating that if her banking responsibilities can be handled from India, she should do so without leaving the country. The court emphasized that there is no need for international travel if the necessary tasks can be effectively managed locally.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court, On Monday, advised Indrani Mukerjea, the main accused in her daughter Sheena Bora’s murder case, to handle her bank-related tasks in Spain and the UK from India, if possible, rather than traveling to those European countries.
Justice S. C. Chandak, presiding over a single bench, suggested that if the tasks are genuine and require Mukerjea’s physical presence in Spain and the UK, the CBI could consider allowing her to travel.
The court also warned Mukerjea not to undertake any additional tasks beyond what she had listed in her application to the special CBI court when seeking permission to travel abroad.
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Previously, on July 19, a special CBI court granted Mukerjea permission to make a one-time trip to Europe (Spain and the UK) for 10 days over intermittent periods within the next three months. Mukerjea sought this permission, citing the need to update bank-related documents and complete other associated tasks following her divorce from Peter Mukerjea.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a petition in the high court challenging the special court’s order. Last month, the high court issued an interim stay on the special court’s decision.
During Monday’s hearing, CBI advocate Shreeram Shirsat informed the court that the agency had verified with the banks in the UK and Spain, and found that the payments Mukerjea needed to make could be processed online, eliminating the need for her to travel. However, he noted that the agency still awaiting a response from one more bank.
Mukerjea’s lawyer, Ranjeet Sangle, argued that her bank accounts in Spain are currently inactive and need to be reactivated before any online transactions can be made. Sangle also referenced a letter Mukerjea had written to the Spanish Embassy detailing the work she needed to accomplish.
Justice Chandak observed that Indrani Mukerjea’s letter also mentioned repair work at a residential property in Spain.
Justice Chandak remarked,
“You (Indrani) have added extra tasks. This was not included in the application submitted to the special court. This raises concerns and suspicion. Prima facie, such behaviour could work against you,”
The bench postponed the hearing until August 27 and requested both Mukerjea and the CBI to provide a detailed list of the tasks she needs to complete in the UK and Spain, and whether these can be accomplished from India.
The court stated,
“If these tasks can be done from here, they should be done. This applies to both sides. When the tasks are genuine and necessary, and if safety and security are not at risk, so be it,”
The bench also extended the interim stay on the special court’s order until August 27.
The special court, while granting permission for Indrani Mukerjea’s travel, imposed certain conditions. One of these conditions requires Mukerjea to visit the office of the Indian Embassy or an allied diplomatic mission at least once during her trip and obtain an attendance certificate, as directed by the court. Additionally, she instructed to provide a security deposit of Rs.2 lakh.
Mukerjea arrested in August 2015 after the murder of her daughter, Sheena Bora, came to light. She was released from jail in May 2022 after being granted bail by the Supreme Court.
According to the prosecution, Sheena Bora, who 24 at the time, was allegedly strangled in a car by Mukerjea, her former driver Shyamvar Rai, and her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna in April 2012 in Mumbai. The body then reportedly burned in a forest in the Raigad district. Sheena Bora Mukerjea’s daughter from a previous relationship.
The murder remained undiscovered until 2015 when Rai, during an interrogation related to a separate Arms Act case, disclosed details about the crime.
Former media executive Peter Mukerjea, Indrani Mukerjea‘s ex-husband, also arrested for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy surrounding the murder.
All the accused currently out on bail. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted the investigation into Sheena Bora’s murder.