Story highlights

A special CBI court in Mumbai has rejected a plea by Indrani Mukerjea seeking permission to travel to Spain and the United Kingdom for two weeks, citing concerns that she could be a “flight risk” as the decade-old Sheena Bora murder trial nears completion.

Special judge J P Darekar observed that only a few witnesses remain to be examined and the case has reached a critical “fag end”, making the possibility of the accused not returning difficult to ignore. The court noted that Mukerjea is a UK national with immovable properties in both the UK and Spain. “The apprehension of the prosecution that she is a flight risk cannot be ruled out,” the judge said.

Mukerjea had sought the release of her passport and permission to travel abroad, claiming she was facing “severe financial hardship” because her bank accounts in the UK and Spain had remained dormant for nearly a decade. Through her counsel, she argued that her personal presence was necessary for biometric verification and reactivation of the accounts.

The plea also stated that she needed to update a will registered in Malaga, Spain, to remove former husband Peter Mukerjea as a beneficiary after their divorce. Mukerjea claimed the ongoing day-to-day trial had prevented her from taking up any gainful employment and said her “financial distress continues till date”.

Opposing the application, the Central Bureau of Investigation argued that the plea was “misconceived, devoid of merits and liable to be dismissed”. The agency maintained that Mukerjea had failed to show any “urgent, compelling, unavoidable circumstances” that justified foreign travel. Prosecutors also informed the court that communications had already been made with authorities in Spain and the UK, who had assured assistance in helping her complete the required formalities.

The court further pointed out that Mukerjea had not placed on record any documents showing confirmed appointments with banks or municipal authorities abroad. Judge Darekar also questioned her claims of financial hardship, noting that she had deposited Rs 2 lakh in court while seeking permission to travel.

The order comes after multiple earlier attempts by Mukerjea to secure permission for overseas travel were rejected by higher courts. The Supreme Court of India had earlier observed that there was “no guarantee” she would return if allowed to leave the country, while also directing the trial court to expedite proceedings in the case.

Mukerjea was arrested in 2015 after the murder of Sheena Bora came to light. According to the prosecution, Bora was strangled in a car in 2012, allegedly by Mukerjea, former husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamvar Rai before her body was burnt in a forest in Raigad district. The case surfaced after Rai allegedly disclosed details of the murder during questioning in an unrelated Arms Act case.