The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 18 May, granted bail to Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the murder case of her daughter, Sheena Bora.
A bench of the apex court noted that Mukerjea had spent nearly 6.5 years in jail already and that the trial in the case is not likely to be finished soon.
"Indrani Mukherjea has been in custody for 6.5 years. We are not making comments on merits of case. Even if the 50 percent witnesses are given up by prosecution, the trial would not be over soon. She is granted bail. She will be released on bail subject to satisfaction of trial court. The same conditions imposed on Peter Mukherjea will also be imposed on her," Justices L Nageswara Rao, BR Gavai, and AS Bopanna said in the court, Bar and Bench reported.
The court also noted that the other accused in the case, her husband Peter Mukerjea, is already on bail since February 2020, and said that Indrani can be released on the same conditions.
The Sheena Bora Murder Case
In a sensational case that had garnered attention from across the country, Sheena Bora on 24 April 2012 was allegedly abducted and murdered in a conspiracy by her parents.
According to the CBI, Indrani Mukerjea had committed the crime as she was enraged with Sheena over her relationship with Rahul Mukerjea, Indrani's husband and media mogul Peter Mukerjea's son from an earlier marriage. After the murder, Indrani had allegedly told everyone that Sheena had moved to the US.
Along with Indrani, her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna, Peter Mukerjea, and driver Shyamvar Rai are said to be behind the conspiracy. The murder case was brought to light when Shyamvar Rai was caught with a gun. During his interrogation, he revealed that he allegedly witnessed the murder.
Peter Mukerjea was also arrested three months after his wife's arrest on the charges of assisting Indrani in the murder but was granted bail in 2020.
On 16 December last year, Mukerjea had claimed that her daughter Sheena Bora – who was allegedly killed in 2012 – is alive.
Mukerjea had contended that she met a woman in Byculla women's jail who claimed that she had met Bora in Srinagar.
(With inputs from Bar and Bench)
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