Sheena Bora case: Pardoned driver a witness

In a significant development that could add new twists to the sensational Sheena Bora murder case, the special CBI court on Monday accepted prime accused Indrani Mukerjea’s former driver Shyamvar Rai’s application to turn approver. While making him an approver, special judge H.S. Mahajan also granted him pardon, turning him a witness from an accused in the case.

Rai turning an approver and witness means that his statement before the court will now be treated as evidence.

Judge Mahajan, in his order, observed that he found merit in the CBI’s stand to accept Rai’s proposal to become an approver. “Evidence of the applicant would be of immense importance and assistance to the prosecution’s case. It is very difficult at times to get such a direct evidence and the first hand account of a criminal conspiracy,” he said.

The judge posted the matter for Friday and on July 4 the court will decide further course of action so that the trial can commence.

Rai had written a two-page letter to the court from Arthur Road Jail last month, expressing his desire to become an approver as he wanted to “reveal the truth” about the crime. Following his application, the court had asked the prosecution to file its response and the CBI had said that it does not have any objection to making Rai an approver.

Though lawyers of the other accused had objected to Rai’s application, the court, after hearing arguments from all sides, had reserved its order till June 20.

Earlier, Mr Rai in his statement, first to the Khar police, and later to the CBI, had revealed all that transpired on April 24 and 25, 2012, when Sheena Bora was murdered and her body dumped and burnt in Raigad, 120 km south of Mumbai. He had told the investigators that Indrani Mukerjea had conducted a reconnaissance to dump Sheena’s body in Raigad on April 23, 2012, and had returned to book a room for her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna, also an accused in the case, at Hotel Hilltop in Worli.

Indrani Mukerjea is lodged at Byculla Jail, while her husband Peter and former husband Sanjeev Khanna are at Arthur Road Jail.