A special court on Wednesday issued summons for former Star India head Peter Mukerjea’s son Rahul Mukerjea to appear as a prosecution witness in the Sheena Bora murder trial concerning the murder of his then partner Sheena in 2012.
The victim’s mother Indrani Mukerjea and her two ex-husbands Peter and Sanjeev Khanna are facing trial in the case, while her former driver Shyamvar Rai is an accused-turned-prosecution witness in the case.
The Central Bureau of investigations's (CBI) special public prosecutor Manoj Chaladan on Wednesday made an application for issuing summons to Mukerjea to appear as a prosecution witness before the court. The court then ordered for the summons to be issued for him.
Mukerjea is a crucial witness for the agency and it has numerous times, while opposing bail applications of the prime accused in the case Indrani Mukerjea as well as her ex-husband and co-accused Peter Mukerjea, cited the reason that he is yet to be examined and that by their release on bail, they could influence him.
The younger Mukerjea was purportedly told by Indrani after Sheena went missing in April 2012, that she had gone to the US and did not want to keep in touch with anyone. He was also the last person to have seen Sheena as she entered Indrani’s car before she went missing. As per the prosecution’s case, Indrani conspired with her then husband Peter and ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and murdered her daughter Sheena with the help of her then driver Shyamvar Rai. Sheena was allegedly drugged and strangulated in a car by Indrani and Khanna and her body disposed of in a suitcase in Pen area of Raigad district.
The trial has been in a limbo since the Coronavirus pandemic struck. Rahul will be the first witness to be examined after an almost two years’ gap.
On Wednesday, the court kept on hold the plea by Indrani seeking probe on Sheena being alive. Indrani's advocate informed the court that Indrani does not want to seek the remedy at this juncture. The court noted that considering the important aspect submitted in the plea, it is open for both sides to canvas the issue during the course of the trial.
