Bombay HC stalls Netflix docuseries on Indrani Mukerjea
What's the story
Bombay High Court put a hold on the release of Netflix's documentary series The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth on Thursday, which is based on the life of Indrani Mukerjea, the primary suspect in the Sheena Bora murder case.
The court has demanded a pre-release screening for the officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) before the series' planned release on Friday.
This move follows a CBI plea to stop the release due to the ongoing trial.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth is a Netflix's true crime docuseries.
The CBI had approached the high court to stop its release since the case was still under trial.
Bora went missing in April 2012 but no First Information Report (FIR) was lodged since Mukerjea, the prime accused in the case, allegedly told everyone that Bora was in the United States of America. Bora was killed the same year but her body remained unidentified for three years.
What happened in the hearing
The series won't be released this month
The division bench, headed by Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Manjusha Deshpande, recommended that before presenting their arguments regarding their request to stay the series' release, the CBI should first preview the series.
Initially concerned about potential pre-censorship, the streaming giant agreed to arrange a screening for selected CBI members, further promising the court to halt its release until the case's next hearing next Thursday (February 29).
The court's concern
Concerns over tampering of evidence
"Why should the CBI not be allowed to see the series?" the court asked Netflix.
"She (Indrani) is an accused. The series is her depiction of what happened. One of the bail conditions is not to tamper with evidence. When you sort of interview people in support of your case... We are asking you, before we hear you, why cannot the CBI watch the series?"
Interviews of the witnesses
Five witnesses interviewed for docuseries
The court also asked Netflix to provide an exact number of witnesses interviewed in the series.
Senior advocate Ravi Kadam, who was representing Netflix, informed the court that five witnesses were interviewed, including Indrani's son Mikhail and her daughter Vidhie.
He added that two of these witnesses had already been examined, while three were yet to be examined.
The crime and the accused
A glance at the Sheena Bora murder case
Mukerjea was arrested in 2015 for allegedly killing her daughter.
The crime took place in 2012. Mukerjea was allegedly assisted by her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna, then-current husband Peter Mukerjea, and her driver Shyamvar Rai.
The case came to light when Rai was arrested in another case. The four prime accused, including Mukerjea, are presently out on bail.