Sheena case: Peter Mukerjea files another bail application

Mumbai, March 24: Media baron Peter Mukerjea, arrested in the Sheena Bora murder case, has filed a second bail plea, contending that the charge sheet doesn't have "reasonable grounds" to hold him guilty.

The special CBI court here had rejected his first bail application in February. Peter's lawyer Kushal Mor filed the second bail application in the special court on Wednesday, March 24.

There was no further justification for keeping him in custody as there were no "reasonable grounds" in the charge sheet to believe that "he has been guilty of offences with which he is charged", it said. As per the charge sheet, Peter's motive for committing the crime (participating in the conspiracy to murder Sheena) was that he was against the relationship between Sheena and his son Rahul Mukerjea.

This was "demonstrably untrue and unsustainable," the application said, citing emails exchanged by Peter and Rahul in December 2011 which it said proved that Peter was not opposed to Rahul and Sheena's engagement.

The application also said Peter was a senior citizen, suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and his health would deteriorate if he was kept in jail. Peter, whose wife Indrani Mukerjea is the prime accused in the case, was arrested on November 19.

He is lodged in the Arthur Road jail here. Other co-accused, Indrani's former husband Sanjeev Khanna and her driver Shyamvar Rai, are in the same jail, while Indrani is in the Byculla women's jail. Indrani, Rai and Khanna allegedly strangled Sheena (24), Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship, inside a car in April 2012. The crime came to light last August.

PTI