Court declines interim bail to Indrani for Guwahati visit

The special CBI court here today rejected the interim bail application of Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, for conducting post-death rituals of her father in Assam.
The court however allowed her to attend rituals anywhere in Mumbai, including at her residence, on December 27.
Indrani's father Upendra Bora died on December 15.
Special judge H S Mahajan said Indrani shall be taken out of the Byculla jail here in the morning under a police escort and brought back to jail by 7 pm.
She shall not speak to the media during this time, the judge said.

Indrani had sought interim bail for visiting Assam for the rituals, but CBI opposed her request. The agency produced an e-mail sent by Indrani's son Mikhail to CBI, saying he did not want her to visit Guwahati.

Mikhail, an important witness in the case, said in the mail that his grandfather was bed-ridden for the past one year and he was looking after both his grandparents for the last three years without any financial and psychological support from Indrani.
His grandparents had legally adopted him as their son and he has already commenced the post-death rituals, he said.
"Indrani has been accused of murdering my elder sister Sheena Bora and ruining my family. Therefore it is my utmost plea that I don't want Indrani to come to Guwahati and visit me as this will create chaos and unnecessary disturbance in my life due to media and other persons, and will hamper post-death rituals of my grandfather," Mikhail said.

CBI also said that Indrani's intention was to influence prosecution witnesses and there was also a possibility that she might try to escape from custody.
(Reopens LGB 12)
Meanwhile, according to a statement of Indrani's former driver Shyam Rai, the accused-turned-approver in the case, she reneged on her promise to help him after Sheena's murder.
Rai's statement, recorded by police last year (before CBI took over the case), was given to the defence lawyers yesterday.
"During the period (after the murder) I asked for money but she did not help me," he told the police.
Indrani had earlier promised to take care of his children's school and his family's medical expenses, he claimed, adding that she had also assured she would hire him as a permanent staff.

According to Rai's confessional statement (recorded when he turned approver) Indrani's secretary gave him salary of three months and terminated his services.
Last June, judge H S Mahajan had made Rai an approver in the case and granted him pardon.
According to CBI, Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and Shyam Rai killed Sheena, Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship, in a car here in April 2012.