CBI moves Bombay HC seeking stay on release of docu-series on Indrani Mukerjea

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the release of a documentary series on Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.

'The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth' is scheduled to be released on Netflix on February 23. The national probe agency moved the high court a day after a special court rejected the CBI plea. According to Bar&Bench, the legal news media, CBI has sought an urgent hearing at 4 pm on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the special court rejected the CBI plea citing that it does not have "inherent powers" to pass such a direction. The docu-series delves into the disappearance of 25-year-old Bora.

CBI wanted to stop the broadcast till the conclusion of the ongoing trial. The probe agency argued that the documentary, with its promotional claims of "new revelations" without providing evidence, can create a prejudicial atmosphere and mislead the public, especially prosecution witnesses when the case is pending trial before the court and is at the crucial stage of prosecution evidence.

It further submitted that the motive to feature in the documentary and its release is malafide. The CBI claimed that this posed a direct threat to the safety and protection of witnesses by potentially disclosing their identities, compromising their security, and deterring them from giving truthful testimony.

The Supreme Court had granted bail to Indrani and laid down certain conditions for her release. Sheena Bora was allegedly strangled to death in a car by Indrani, her then-driver Shyamvar Rai and former husband Sanjeev Khanna in April 2012.

Bora was Indrani's daughter from her previous relationship. Her body was burnt in a forest in the neighbouring Raigad district. The murder came to light in 2015 after Rai revealed about the killing following his arrest in another case.

Indrani was arrested in August 2015 and granted bail in May 2022. The other accused in the case, Rai, Khanna and Peter Mukerjea, are also out on bail.
(With PTI inputs)