The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation regarding former media executive Indrani Mukerjea’s plea challenging a Bombay High Court ruling that denied her request to travel abroad.
Mukerjea, who is accused of killing her daughter Sheena Bora, had initially sought permission to visit Spain and the United Kingdom for 10 days over the next three months.
The issue arose after a special court allowed Mukerjea’s request on July 19. However, the CBI contested the special court’s decision, leading to the Bombay High Court quashing the order on September 27. Mukerjea then appealed to the Supreme Court against this ruling.
A bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Aravind Kumar issued a notice to the CBI and called for a response to Mukerjea’s appeal. Through her lawyer, advocate Sana Raees Khan, Mukerjea argued that, as a British citizen, she needed to travel to Spain and the UK to address important matters that required her personal presence.
She explained that she needed to activate a digital certificate for administrative purposes in Spain, which could not be done remotely.
The Bombay High Court had rejected her request on the grounds that Mukerjea could complete the necessary tasks from India. The court pointed out that the relevant authorities, with the assistance of the Spanish and UK embassies, could help her carry out the work without her being physically present abroad.
Mukerjea was arrested in August 2015 after the murder of her daughter, Sheena Bora, came to light. She has consistently denied the allegations. Bora, aged 24, was allegedly strangled by Mukerjea, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna, and driver Shyamvar Rai in April 2012 in Mumbai. Her body was then reportedly burned in a forest in Raigad district.
The case came to light when Rai, during an interrogation related to a separate case, revealed the details of the murder.
Mukerjea’s ex-husband, Peter Mukerjea, was also arrested for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy surrounding Bora’s murder. The CBI is continuing to probe the case, and all the accused are currently out on bail.
