Bombay HC grants Peter Mukerjea bail in Sheena Bora's murder
What's the story
The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Peter Mukerjea in the Sheena Bora murder case. The court cited a lack of evidence against Mukerjea establishing his involvement in the crime. Peter's former wife, Indrani Mukerjea, is the prime accused in the case. Peter, Indrani, and Indrani's first husband, Sanjeev Khanna, have been in jail since 2015. Here are more details.
Order
HC observed Peter was not in India during Sheena's murder
According to PTI, the court granted bail to Peter against a surety bond of Rs. 2 lakh. The order was passed by Justice Nitin Sambre. Sambre said, "When the incident took place, the applicant (Peter) was not in India. The trial in the case is already underway. The applicant is in jail for more than four years and has recently undergone bypass surgery."
Other details
Court stayed order for 6 weeks on CBI's request
However, the court also stayed its bail order for a period of six weeks on the request of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case. The stay allows the agency to appeal against Peter's bail. Separately, the court has also restricted Peter from contacting his daughter Vidhi, his son Rahul, and other witnesses in the case.
History
Sheena was murdered in 2012 over financial dispute
Sheena Bora, 24, was Indrani's daughter from a previous relationship. She was allegedly killed on April 24, 2012. According to the CBI, Peter, Indrani, and Khanna conspired to kill Sheena over a financial dispute. Recently, Dr. Sudhir Gupta, head of the forensics team at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) established that Sheena was strangulated to death.
Information
Sheena Bora's murder came to light in 2015
The murder case came to light in 2015 when Indrani's driver Shyamwar Rai was arrested in another case. Shyamwar had helped the accused dispose of Sheena's body. He later turned an approver in the investigation of the murder.