CBI court allows Indrani Mukerjea to perform father's last rites in Mumbai

Mumbai: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Thursday allowed Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, to perform the last rites of her father in Mumbai.

It, however, rejected her interim bail plea to perform the rites in Guwahati.

The court has allowed Indrani to perform the last rites in Mumbai, with police escorting her and has also directed her to refrain from talking to the media during her visit.

CBI had opposed her visit to Assam to conduct rituals following the death of her father Upendra Kumar Bora on December 15.

In its reply to the court, CBI also annexed an e-mail written by Indrani's son Mikhail to the agency saying that he doesn't want her to visit Guwahati.

Mikhail, an important witness in the case, has said that his grandfather had been bed-ridden for the last one year and he had been looking after both his grandparents for the last three years without any financial and mental support from Indrani.

He has said that his grandparents had legally adopted him as their son and he has already commenced the rituals.

"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 commencing post-death rituals of my grandfather," Mikhail said in the mail to CBI.

In its reply to the court, the central agency has said that Indrani has filed the application in order to move out of jail and with the intention to influence prosecution witness as the trial is to commence shortly.

It has also said that safety and security of Indrani is required to be looked into with regard to the proposed journey to Guwahati. "There is always a possibility that she may escape from the custody," CBI has said.

It has also said that Indrani's mother Durga Rani died on October 1 last year, but Indrani mentioned in her plea that she died in November and this doesn't reflect Indrani's closeness with her parents.

Special public prosecutors Bharat Badami and Kavita Patil told the court that the funeral was already over and Mikhail has conducted the rituals.

"The Brahman bhojan (ritual) is kept on December 27, while priests can be called in jail and all the rituals can be performed in the prison itself," Badami told the court.

However, Indrani's lawyer requested the court that if not Guwahati, she must be allowed to do the rituals in Nashik, Haridwar or Mumbai itself.

"Indrani wants to mourn. When her mother passed away she was not told about it. She needs to observe mourning, perform Shradh and offer food to Brahmins," her lawyer said.

The court is likely to pass order on her bail application tomorrow. The court is at present hearing arguments on framing of charges.