A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court has rejected the temporary bail applications of Indrani Mukerjea and her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna, both co-accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.
The duo has been in jail since the end of 2015 after their arrest. Both had claimed bail on the grounds of the pandemic. Indrani had sought bail in May on the grounds that she had tested Covid positive the previous month in Byculla jail where she is lodged.
The 49-year-old was among the 38 inmates who had contracted the virus at that time.
Six of her previous bail applications have been rejected in the past. The last one to be rejected was filed on the merits of the case. While rejecting it, the court had said that the trial is ongoing and it cannot assess the reliability or unreliability of evidence on record or pass a final conclusion on the evidentiary value of prosecution witnesses.
Sanjeev Khanna had sought relief in June on the High Power Committee (HPC) recommendations for release of prisoners to decongest prisons due to the pandemic. A notification in May of the HPC entitled those whose pleas were rejected last year, to file a plea again for relief. Khanna’s plea of last year had been rejected by the court.
The duo, along with Indrani’s ex-husband Peter Mukerjea, are facing trial for charges of criminal conspiracy and murder of 24-year-old Sheena Bora, Indrani’s daughter, in April 2012. Peter is out on bail, while Indrani’s driver Shyamvar Rai, an accused-turned approver in the case, is in custody.
