Lawyers for Indrani – facing trial for the alleged murder of Bora, her elder daughter – Peter and co-accused Sanjeev Khanna opposed the CBI plea stating that procedure was not followed while gathering evidence in the form of the CD. A special court hearing the Sheena Bora murder case on Wednesday did not allow a CBI plea to bring on record a CD, which had recordings of alleged conversations between former media executive and Indrani Mukerjea, her then husband and former Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea and his son Rahul Mukerjea, who was also Bora’s fiance.
The CBI had moved a plea to exhibit the CD where the recordings from Rahul’s phone were transferred during probe in 2015.
Lawyers for Indrani – facing trial for the alleged murder of Bora, her elder daughter – Peter and co-accused Sanjeev Khanna opposed the CBI plea stating that procedure was not followed while gathering evidence in the form of the CD.
They claimed that a certificate under Section 65B of the Indian Evidence Act required to prove the recordings was not submitted. The CBI prosecutor said that the voices in the CD were identified by Rahul, who is currently deposing as a witness, and a certificate, too, was issued.
The court said that the certificate, which is yet to be exhibited, cannot be said to be proven by the prosecution at this stage. “The prosecution is at liberty to pursue an application to exhibit the CD at a later stage of the trial,” the court said. It directed the CBI to continue with the recording of evidence of Rahul as a witness.
Meanwhile, days after a special court rejected an application filed by Vidhie Mukerjea seeking to reside with her mother Indrani, she appeared before the court on Wednesday and sought oral permission to hug her mother.
In her plea, which was rejected by the special court, Vidhie had said that she was a minor when her mother was arrested in 2015 and has been deprived of her companionship.
“Vidhie has come to India. She has not met her mother. Can she only hug her?” lawyer Ranjeet Sangle representing Indrani and Vidhie asked the court. Special Judge S P Naik Nimbalkar said that the Supreme Court had set conditions while granting Indrani bail. “I can neither permit nor disallow such a request,” the court said. The SC had directed Indrani to not establish contact with witnesses. Vidhie’s statement was recorded in connection to the case in 2015. Vidhie is Indrani’s daughter from her previous marriage with Khanna.C