Sheena Bora murder: Court bars Indrani Mukerjea from foreign trip
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Mumbai: A special court here on Friday denied Indrani Mukerjea, an accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, permission to travel to Spain and the United Kingdom for two weeks, observing that the prosecution's contention of her being a "flight risk" cannot be ruled out, PTI reported.
Special judge J P Darekar noted that, with very few witnesses remaining to be examined, the trial is currently at a critical "fag end" and likely to be concluded in the near future.
"Accused number one (Indrani Mukerjea) is facing trial for serious offences. She is a UK national, having immovable properties in the UK and Spain. The apprehension of the prosecution that she is a flight risk cannot be ruled out," the judge said.
Mukerjea had filed a fresh plea for travelling abroad, arguing she was facing "severe financial hardship" because her bank accounts in the UK and Spain had remained dormant for a decade. She had labelled it as a matter of "urgency and compelling circumstances".
Her personal presence was required for reactivation and biometric verification of the said dormant bank accounts, the plea filed through advocate Ranjeet Sangle claimed.
Further, she needed to update her will registered in Malaga, Spain, to remove her former husband, Peter Mukerjea, as a beneficiary following the dissolution of their marriage, the plea added.
She asserted that, as the trial is continuing on a day-to-day basis, she is unable to engage in any gainful employment.
"She has exigency to travel abroad and financial distress faced by her continues till date. She is facing severe financial hardship and difficulty to survive," the plea claimed.