Peter’s bail plea rejected in Sheena murder case

MUMBAI: A special CBI court judge on Monday refused to grant bail to former media honcho Peter Mukerjea in the Sheena Bora murder case.
The judge orally said that it was a “fit case” except that there were certain facts in the case diary. These details which couldn’t be disclosed to the defence team formed the basis for the rejection of the bail. The CBI, which is conducting further probe in the case and is set to file a supplementary chargesheet later, had submitted to the judge during the bail hearing two documents in a sealed cover.
While CBI counsel Bharat Badami had opposed the bail plea citing further investigation and adequate material so far to show his complicity. Mukerjea’s lawyer Aabad Ponda had argued that there were several circumstances to show that his wife Indrani Mukerjea had deceived him into believing that Sheena Bora was alive, following her disappearance on April 24, 2012.
Both Indrani and Mukerjea are accused in the Sheena Bora murder case filed last year, along with Indrani’s former husband Sanjeev Khanna and her driver Shyamwar Rai. Mukerjea was arrested last November when the CBI filed its chargesheet against Indrani and the two others in the murder case.
Ponda had argued before special CBI judge H S Mahajan that Mukerjea’s second plea for bail ought to be granted since the case “lacked any merit”. The reasoned order copy will be available later. Mukerjea’s sister and brother were in court, he wasn’t. His sister broke down briefly. He may move the HC for bail later.