Bombay High Court Blocks Indrani Mukerjea's Travel Plans Amid Ongoing Murder Trial

In a significant development, the Bombay High Court has overturned a previous ruling that would have allowed Indrani Mukerjea, a key figure in the Sheena Bora murder case, to travel abroad for ten days. The ruling was issued by Justice Shyam C. Chandak in response to a petition from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which expressed concerns that Mukerjea, a British national, might not return to face trial if granted permission to leave India.

Mukerjea, currently on trial alongside her two ex-husbands—former media mogul Peter Mukerjea and Sanjeev Khanna—stands accused of murdering her daughter, Sheena Bora, in 2012. The court's decision comes as Mukerjea had requested permission to travel to Spain and the United Kingdom, citing the need to update her will and attend to matters related to a bank account in Spain.

In her initial application, Mukerjea argued that she needed to be physically present to execute important documents regarding her property and banking affairs in Spain. Despite the special CBI court granting her travel permission on July 19, the conditions included mandatory reporting to the CBI before and after her trip, as well as a ₹2 lakh cash deposit as security.

This was not Mukerjea's first attempt to secure permission to travel; a prior application had been denied after her passport was damaged while in custody of the court.

Indrani Mukerjea was arrested in 2015 for the alleged kidnapping and murder of her daughter, a case that has garnered significant media attention. Prosecutors allege that the motive behind the crime stemmed from Mukerjea's disapproval of Sheena's relationship with Rahul Mukerjea, the son of her ex-husband Peter Mukerjea. As the trial continues, the court’s latest ruling underscores the complexities surrounding this high-profile case.