Sheena case: Court reserves order on CBI plea to quiz accused

A Mumbai court today reserved its order till tomorrow on a CBI plea seeking permission to interrogate in jail former media magnate Indrani Mukerjea and two other accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.

"The order will be passed tomorrow," said R V Adone, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Esplanade court.

Seeking permission to quiz Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and her driver Shyam Rai in jail, CBI, which had moved an application yesterday, told the court that it has just taken over the investigation from Mumbai Police and interrogation of the trio was necessary.

The agency submitted that if the permission (for interrogation) is not given then it will have to rely on the investigation conducted by Mumbai Police.

CBI has prayed for grant of at least 3 weeks time to interrogate the accused in jail.

Indrani's lawyer Gunjan Mangala told the court that she does not have any objection to her client being interrogated by CBI in jail.

The 43-year-old prime accused in the case was rushed to JJ Hospital on Friday after collapsing in Byculla prison after suspected overdose of anti-depressant pills.

According to doctors attending on her, she is conscious and is responding positively to medication.

Khanna's lawyer Shreyansh Mithare also said he is not opposed to interrogation if there is any new ground.

However, Rai's lawyer Shrinivas Bhave objected to the CBI plea and said the police had sought judicial remand saying that investigation in the case was over and no further custody was required.

Yesterday, the local court had extended the trio's judicial custody till October 19.

It had also asked JJ Hospital authorities to furnish the medical report of Indrani.

On Saturday, Indrani's lawyer had moved a court here for permission to meet her in hospital after which the court had sought a report on her health condition.

The high-profile case was initially handled by Mumbai Police under the supervision of the then Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria and transferred to CBI by the Maharashtra government last monght. The central agency had then filed a murder case against the three accused.

Stating that a probe free from "prejudices" will be conducted, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K P Bakshi had told a press conference on September 18 that the financial angle in the case has also been taken into account.

Indrani, Khanna and Rai were arrested in August on the charge of murdering Sheena and disposing of her body in a Raigad forest in April 2012.

The police had exhumed remains of a body from Raigad forest and later claimed that digital superimposition of the profile of Sheena had matched with the skull recovered from the forest.

The police had also talked to Indrani's husband Peter Mukerjea in connection with the case. Others questioned in connection with the case include Peter's son Rahul Mukerjea and Vidhie, daughter of Indrani and Sanjeev Khanna.

The police have also questioned Siddharth Das, biological father of Sheena and Mikhail Bora.

24-year-old Sheena was allegedly strangled in a car, and then her body was burnt and dumped in Raigad forest, about 84 kms from Mumbai.