Sheena Bora's birthday fell on February 11 and it's been 14 years since she disappeared into thin air. She would have been 39. Nearly one-and-a-half decades later are we patiently inching nearer to knowing the truth of what happened?
Indrani Mukerjea, in pure white, sporting dancing pearl jhumkas, bobbed about the accused box, occasionally floating up front to whisper urgent suggestions to her lawyer Ranjeet Sangle as retired cop and prosecution witness Dinesh Kadam gave her a long look. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel returns to cover the Sheena Bora murder trial after 18 months.
Key witness Vidhie Mukerjea testified in the Sheena Bora murder trial, claiming that Bora was alive after her alleged murder and identifying her voice in a recording.
According to the witness, Sheena once told her that Indrani administered her wrong medication, and she landed in hospital as a result.
Vidhie Mukerjea, a key witness in the Sheena Bora murder case, denied making a statement to probe agencies, claiming documents in the CBI chargesheet were forged. She also alleged that Rahul and Rabin Mukerjea stole her mother's assets and had a motive to falsely implicate her.
Weeks after it informed that parts of the purported skeleton of murder victim Sheena Bora were untraceable, the prosecution on Wednesday told the trial court in Mumbai that they were lying at the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) office in New Delhi.
One of the high points of the proceedings was when Indrani Mukerjea's lawyer smartly utilised Dr Zeba Khan's expert status to pose her A Most Curious Question. He asked her if a skull can grow new teeth, even after the person, who it belonged to, had died, three years before. We can be sure that the discrepancy between the number of teeth discovered in the skull unearthed in 2012 and the skull shown in court in September 2019 will come up soon in Courtroom No 51. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel reports from the Sheena Bora Murder Trial.
The living will do anything to save their lives. The dead can't defend themselves. Will Sheena Bora's good name survive her murder trial?
Did Sheena Bora board a Jet Airways flight on July 22, 2012, a full three months after her death in April 2012?
Speaking to ANI, Khan said, "I have been informed by my client Indrani Mukherjea (mother and prime accused in this murder case) that a lady officer (inmate) has informed her that she met Sheena Bora on June 24 near Dal Lake."
Indrani is in a buoyant and energetic frame of mind these days -- in a full-on Mood Positive. She has a tell-all book titled Unbroken out, that she terms as an 'eet ka jawab kalam se' and appears in media interviews all over the place, when she is not kick-boxing, doing yoga, or travelling, visiting temples, or floating in shikaras on Srinagar's Dal Lake.
Indrani said that one of her inmates in Byculla prison has told her that she had spotted Sheena in Kashmir some time ago.
'There is a communication between Rahul Mukerjea and Sheena Bora.' 'First on the 26th. And then on the 27th and then on the 28th.' 'See the messages wherein Rahul Mukerjea tells Sheena Bora "Baba I am in the car park. Come".' 'And Sheena Bora replies to Rahul Mukerjea: "Five min bas".' 'This explains why none of the bodies matched Sheena Bora...'
While the trial of the Sheena Bora murder case is far from over, the story has seen some bizarre turns and twists so far.
'She seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet after telling different people different things.'
As the probe in the Sheena Bora murder gathers pace with accused Sanjiv Khanna confessing to his complicity, here are the latest updates in the murder that has gripped the nation.
The court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to file its response to Mukerjea's plea.
When Sheena got down from his car on the evening of April 24, 2012, Rahul says she told him, "Bye. Love you. See you later."
Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com offers his unique perspective on the media overkill around the Sheena Bora case.
Indrani said that the inordinate delay in conducting the trial has deprived her of her fundamental right to work in the country of her nationality (England) and residence, as also the freedom to travel freely outside India.
In just 18 frames, the photograph of the dainty Sheena, with her winsome smile and starry eyes, dissolved, flesh falling off her facial bones, into what the CBI alleged was her corresponding yellowed, morose-looking skull with hollow, haunting eye sockets.
Then came the electrifying climax of Tuesday's hearing. Pasbola showed Sharma copies of cheques that had been deposited at the bank with Indrani's signature on them. He accused Sharma of forging Indrani's signature and collecting the money for herself. In the back Indrani stood up in the accused box and very pointedly nodded her head up and down and mouthed, "She did!".
CBI Special Prosecutor Bharat B Badami presents the first part of his arguments countering Peter Mukerjea's November 2018 bail plea.
Maruti Warke's basic understanding illustrated how far outside the system most less privileged Indians are -- simple, innocent people barely but admirably eking out an existence, with almost no knowledge of their surroundings or owning even the basic smarts to go about life. The same people who instinctively and often astutely vote governments into and out of office in New Delhi without knowing the entire reality of this country. The folks who are actually the essence of India.
Sameer Buddha was just the kind of witness Indrani's lawyer Sudeep Pasbola dislikes. Someone, who had temporarily dumped his memory before entering the court. He answered most questions, one after another, one after another, one after another, with a monotonous, deadpan: 'I don't remember.' 'I don't remember.' 'I don't remember.'
More noticeable than the hue of his shirt was his mast style in the witness box. He seemed to be reinventing the truth every few minutes. He yarned on and on, navigating his testimony further and further away from the facts, but he never lost his aplomb.
Badami asked Das if Indrani was in the room. Das, whipping out his hand and pointing it at Indrani, announced: "Yes, she is right there." Indrani, who was looking down, through most of the hearing, momentarily raised her eyes, just a fraction and glanced at him. That was the first time either of them looked at each other. Till then, and later, Das refused to look at her, as if he was not able to, either out of anger or revulsion. It seemed mutual. Indrani too pretended throughout like he did not exist.
Constant "blackmailing" of former media executive Indrani Mukerjea by her daughter Sheena Bora and relationship with Rahul Mukerjea were among the reasons for her murder in April 2012, according to a Central Bureau of Investigation official.
And while the owner of the Chevrolet, which held Sheena's remains, will be examined on October 16 in Judge Jagdale's court, it is Indrani's response to the prosecution's reply to her bail application that will be the focus of everyone's attention.
According to the latest buzz, Rohit Shetty's next directorial will be based on Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria's autobiography, Let Me Say It Now, and John will essay the central role.
As Indrani, Sanjeev Khanna and Peter pass cupboard no 6 -- where the skull is stored -- what thoughts pass through their mind?
The bench gave liberty to Mukerjea to approach the trial court
There are too many convoluted wires in this case that need to be straightened out and there are certain questions that need to be answered.
Several questions about the crime, his conversations with his wife Indrani Mukerjea and his own statements were put to him during the test by CBI officials at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory.
Will there be answers? Will we ever know the truth about who murdered Sheena Bora?
Dr Gupta handled Shivade's blows with quite some equanimity... So it was often only Shivade down in the mud pit, egging and enticing the doctor to join the fight, while Dr Gupta cautiously kept to the sidelines, barely stepping a toe into the mud.
He was getting fruits, but no implement to cut them with. He told the judge, sadly: "I have tried and it is very difficult, your honour." His statement quickly brought up the imagery of Peter trying to cut a pineapple with his teeth or a papaya with a pen or a toothbrush.
There it lay, a photograph on the desk under a stapler, and later a stamp pad, forgotten, done with, like its subject, a Mumbai Metro One employee who vanished overnight.
Here are the latest updates in the case in which cops have said that they have a 'fair idea for the motive'
He is, at the closing of 2018, a man quite different from the Peter Mukerjea who entered judicial custody three-and-a-half years ago. He is a man not yet convicted of a crime, but already suffering for it, like the hundreds that enter these courts every day and the thousands Peter shares jail space with in a central Mumbai prison.
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