CBI knocks on HC door for stay on Indrani Mukerjea docu

February 21, 2024 19:35

The CBI on Wednesday moved the Bombay high court seeking a stay on the upcoming release of a documentary series on Indrani Mukerjea, facing trial for the alleged murder of her daughter Sheena Bora, a day after a special court rejected its application.

The CBI is contemplating filing an application seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Mukerjea as she was breaching conditions imposed on her to not influence witnesses, the agency told the HC.

A division bench headed by Justice Revati Mohite Dere asked the makers of the docu-series to indicate on Thursday if any witnesses who are yet to be examined in the murder trial, feature in the series.

The docu-series, titled The Indrani Mukerjea Story: The Buried Truth, delves into the disappearance of 25-year-old Bora and is scheduled to premiere on streaming platform Netflix on February 23.

The special court, while rejecting the CBI's plea for a stay on the docu-series on Tuesday, said it does not have "inherent powers" to pass such a direction.

Shreeram Shirsat, the advocate for the Central Bureau of Investigation, told the high court on Wednesday that the agency should have been consulted once by the makers of the documentary series.

He said the CBI was not seeking a complete ban on the release of the docu-series but is only requesting a stay until the trial in the case is over.

"The CBI is only saying that this series should not be released till the trial is concluded. Witnesses who are yet to depose in the case may get influenced by the (airing of the) series," Shirsat said.

He also said the CBI was contemplating to also file an application seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Indrani Mukerjea as she was breaching conditions imposed on her to not influence witnesses.

Senior counsel Ravi Kadam, appearing for Netflix, argued that all details of the case were already available in the public domain and that Indrani had herself written a book. He added that the trial may go on for some more time.

The division bench adjourned the matter till Thursday.

You can read Rediff.com's comprehensive coverage of the Sheena Bora murder trial here.

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