Mumbai: The court concluded recording the deposition of Indrani Mukerjea’s daughter Vidhie Mukerjea on Thursday, unravelling several twists and leaving many questions unanswered. Vidhie contradicted her stand taken before the investigating agency and later in her testimony and also in the affidavit she had submitted before the court on Thursday.
Vidhie Cross-Examined in Mukerjea Case
Vidhie, on Thursday, was cross examined by Peter Mukerjea’s lawyer Manjula Rao, who questioned her on various aspects from her education, who paid for her frequent foreign trips and also the education loan taken by her to the details of her account held with ANZ Bank, New Zealand.
Rao also pointed out that Vidhie was represented by Indrani’s lawyer Ranjeet Sangle for her plea filed to allow her to stay with her mother for a few months, after Indrani was released on bail. Sangle, however, said though that would amount to conflict of interest, it was done with the permission of the court and Vidhie had relinquished her rights.
During the testimony, Vidhie avoided answering many questions, saying she was not privileged to answer them. Vidhie was asked if she had been to AZN Bank (while Indrani and Peter were in prison) with a letter by Peter relinquishing his right in the joint account held by Indrani and Peter. Vidhie denied the suggestion.
Rao had pointed out that at the relevant time, Peter had moved an application before the court that his signatures were forged on a letter which was issued to AZN Bank and Syndicate Bank where he held a joint account with Indrani.
ANZ Account Funds Probed in Mukerjea Case
Later, Vidhie was questioned if she had opened a separate account in ANZ Bank and got money transferred to her said account from that of her parents. She did accept that she opened the account but denied transferring the money. She was also asked if Peter’s UK-based lawyer had transferred a huge amount of funds to her account. She initially denied the suggestion but later accepted that it came into another account.
Subsequently, Vidhie refused to answer any questions related to the transfer of funds and accounts held in AZN Bank.
Vidhie admitted she thought of writing the book which was later published as ‘Devil’s Daughter’ while she was stuck in Hong Kong during the Covid pandemic in 2021. However, she said she regretted doing so. When asked what step she took to recall the book, she said since the publication had shut, she did not have to do anything further.
When Rao questioned her if she returned the funds received from the publisher as an advance, on moral grounds, she denied, saying she did not require to do so. Further she said she wanted to issue a public notice but that too could not happen.
Meanwhile, Vidhie had on Wednesday submitted an affidavit before the special CBI court, which she had prepared in December 2022. On Thursday, when she was questioned why she had prepared the affidavit, she said she cannot identify the lawyer or the signature, and cannot respond on why it was prepared.
Mother-daughter Reunion
Soon after Vidhie was discharged as a witness and stepped down from the witness box, she requested the court if she could hug her parents – Indrani and Peter Mukerjea. At the end of the hearing, Vidhie and Indrani were seen cheering as they can now be with each other after almost a decade. “It is today that I truly feel I am free. Now Vidhie need not stay in a hotel and can be with me,” Indrani said excitedly. As per the conditions imposed by the courts while granting bail, the accused were restricted from contacting the witnesses.
