Bombay HC Stays Permission To Indrani Mukherjea To Travel Abroad

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted an ad-interim stay on a special court order allowing former media executive Indrani Mukerjea, who is accused of killing her daughter Sheena Bora in 2012, to travel to the UK and Spain. At present she is out on bail.

Justice Sarang Kotwal said the plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the special court order shall be heard on July 29 before the regular bench of Justice S C Chandak. Justice Chandak was unavailable on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, CBI counsel Shriram Shirsat sought an urgent hearing of the plea before the alternate bench of Justice Kotwal against travel permission to Mukherjea. 

The judge, however, remarked that it would be better if the regular bench heard the plea. “Until then, ad-interim relief granted (stay on the special court order),” Justice Kotwal said. 

Mukherjea’s advocate Ranjeet Sangle, however, pointed out to the court that she can't travel as she did not have her passport with her.

The CBI had approached the HC on July 20, a day after the special court granted permission to Mukherjea to travel abroad. The central agency contended that the order is “bad in law and arbitrary”. The agency expressed apprehension that Mukerjea might flee from justice. 

The CBI pointed out that Mukerjea is a UK national and might not return to India. It takes a lot of effort and formalities to extradite a person from the UK, if she does not return, the agency emphasised.

Mukerjea had claimed that she had to make changes in her will with regards to property in Spain and attend to a deactivated bank account, for which her physical presence is required.

Opposing the claim, the CBI has said that no government authority of Spain has asked her to remain personally present to complete all the formalities. There is nothing that cannot be done through video conferencing, the CBI said.

The special court had laid down certain conditions on Mukerjea while granting her permission to travel abroad. During her travel, she has to attend the office of the Indian Embassy or its allied diplomatic mission offices there at least once and obtain an attendance certificate. The court has also directed her to furnish a security deposit of Rs2 lakh.