CBI calls former Mumbai top cop Rakesh Maria 'unrelied witness'

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted a list of 23 witnesses it would not be examining against former media executive Indrani Mukerjea and other accused in connection with the killing of her daughter Sheena Bora.

The list, submitted to a special CBI court in Mumbai on Thursday, includes Mumbai's former police commissioner Rakesh Maria and other police officials, and the agency said they would not be examined in the trial as they were "unrelied witnesses".

Indrani and her two former husbands -- Peter Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna -- are accused of being involved in the killing of Sheena Bora, Indrani's daughter from her first relation.

Sheena (24) was murdered on April 24, 2012, allegedly by her mother Indrani, Khanna, and driver Shyamvar Rai in conspiracy with Peter Mukerjea.

The killing, however, came to light only in 2015 when Rai was arrested by the Mumbai police in another case.

At the time, Maria was the city police commissioner and had supervised the probe.

The case was later transferred to the CBI.

Indrani had earlier this year sought the court to direct the CBI to submit a list of witnesses it was going to examine.

In April, the agency had submitted a list of 92 witnesses who would be examined.

Indrani and Peter's daughter Vidhi Mukerjea's name did not figure in that list.

Her name was also not included in the list submitted by the CBI on Thursday.

There appears to be some ambiguity about whether Vidhi would be examined by the CBI against her mother as her statement is a part of the agency's chargesheet in the case.

Apart from Maria, the other persons who have been included in the "unrelied witnesses" list are Dinesh Kadam, who was the investigating officer from city police, Satyanarayan Chaudhary, joint commissioner of police (law and order), and then Zone 9 DCP, and S S Wagh and Supriya Channey, both jailors.

Indrani's lawyers had in the past, soon after her arrest, claimed that Maria had interfered with the probe and that she was being implicated.

The Supreme Court in May 2022 granted bail to Indrani, saying that six-and-a-half years in prison was too long a term and that the trial would not be completed any time soon. 

• The Sheena Bora Murder Trial