The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) approached the Bombay High Court on Saturday challenging the permission by the special court allowing former media executive Indrani Mukherjea, who is accused of killing her daughter Sheena Bora in 2012, to travel to Europe.
The special court on Friday allowed Mukherjea to travel once to Europe (Spain and United Kingdom) for tens days between intermittent periods of two consecutive dates of the trial, during the span of next three months.
Seeking quashing of the special court order, the CBI filed a petition in the HC contending that the same is bad in law and is arbitrary. Mukherjea is facing trial in a serious case, that of killing her daughter, it contended.
The CBI expressed apprehension that if she is permitted to travel abroad, then there is a chance of her fleeing from justice. The CBI has pointed out that she is a UK national and she may not return to India. It takes a lot of effort and formalities to extradite a person from the UK, if she does not return, the agency emphasised.
Mukherjea had claimed that she had to make changes in her Will with regards to property in Spain and also since her arrest her accounts held in a bank in Spain had been deactivated. She has claimed that she had bequeathed her property in Spain in the name of her former husband Peter Mukerjea. However, since their divorce she had to make required changes, for which she has to be physically present.
She claimed that for both, her physical presence is required and hence sought permission to travel abroad.
Opposing the claim, the CBI has said that no Government Authority of Spain has asked her to remain personally present to complete all the formalities in person. There is nothing that cannot be done through video conferencing, the CBI said,
The agency is likely to seek an urgent hearing in the petition next week.
The special court had laid down certain conditions on Mukerjea while granting her permission to travel abroad. During her travel, she has to attend the office of the Indian Embassy or its allied diplomatic mission offices there at least once during her visit and obtain an attendance certificate, said the court. The court also directed Indrani Mukerjea to furnish a security deposit of Rs 2 lakh.
Sheena Bora was allegedly strangled to death in a car by Indrani, her then driver Shyamvar Rai and former husband Sanjeev Khanna in April 2012. Bora was Indrani's daughter from her previous relationship. Her body was burnt in a forest in the neighbouring Raigad district.
However, the murder came to light in 2015 after Rai revealed about the killing following his arrest in another case.
Indrani was arrested in August 2015 and granted bail by the Supreme Court in May 2022. Other accused, including Peter Mukerjea, are also out on bail.
