Trial not concluded, SC directs special court to complete Sheena Bora trial within nine months

Court allows Indrani Mukerjea to file travel permit plea afresh
THE SUPREME Court has permitted accused Indrani Mukerjea to file a fresh application to travel abroad after the special court in Mumbai sought an extension of nine months to conclude the trial in the Sheena Bora ‘murder’ case .

The Supreme Court also said that no further prayer seeking extension of time will be entertained, directing the trial court to conclude the trial within nine months.

Currently, the trial court is recording the evidence of the then Mumbai police investigating officer, Dinesh Kadam, who is the 146th witness in the case.

“Considering the prayer made, the time to conclude the trial stands extended by 9 months while making it clear that no further prayer seeking extension of time will be entertained.

Liberty is granted to the accused person to file a fresh application seeking permission to travel abroad,” Justice M M Sundresh and Justice NK Singh said, on a plea filed by senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and advocate Sana Raees Khan.

A year ago, a plea filed by Mukerjea, a UK national, to travel abroad pending trial, was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The court had then given directions to the trial court to expedite the trial and conclude it within a year.

“In the event that the said trial is not completed as aforestated, liberty is given to the petitioner to renew the application seeking permission to travel abroad,” the Supreme Court had said on February 12, 2025.

Mukerjea is facing charges of murdering her daughter, Sheena Bora, in 2012.

She is currently out on bail.

Mukerjea had sought permission to travel to Spain and the UK in 2024, to execute some documents related to her account in a Spanish bank; and visit the UK as she has property there and has not been able to visit since her arrest in 2015.

Her lawyer had also said that since she got divorced from her then husband and co-accused Peter Mukerjea, former CEO of Star India, while she was in custody, she has to update documents and submit her divorce decree.

She also wants to update her Will to remove Peter as a beneficiary to an estate in Spain, she had said.

The special court in Mumbai had in July 2024 permitted Mukerjea to travel for ten days, even as the CBI opposed the plea stating that since she is a UK national, she can be a flight risk and may not remain available for the trial.

The CBI had then filed an appeal before the Bombay High Court against the permission granted to Mukerjea.

The High Court in September 2024 allowed the CBI’s appeal and refused permission for the travel.

Mukerjea’s plea before the Supreme Court too was turned down, which had said in February 2025, that considering that the trial is on, it is not inclined to grant her the permission.

It had, however, directed the trial court to expedite the trial and conclude it within a year.

Mukerjea and her two former husbands, Peter and Sanjeev Khanna, are facing charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.

It is alleged that Sheena, Mukerjea’s daughter from a previous relationship, was killed in 2012, and that the ‘crime’ came to light in 2015, with the arrest of Mukerjea’s former driver, Shyamvar Rai, an approver in the case.

The CBI, which took over the case from the Mumbai Police, claims that Sheena was murdered over the disapproval of Mukerjea and Peter, over her relationship with Peter’s son, Rahul.

2022: Citing delay in trial and seven years spent in custody, Indrani Mukerjea gets bail in Sheena Bora ‘murder’ trial, bail conditions do not permit travel abroad
July 2024: Indrani, a UK national, seeks permission to travel abroad; special court allows plea
Sep 2024: CBI appeal against special court order allowed, her plea turned down
Feb 2025: SC denies permission too, expedites trial
March 2026: Trial court seeks nine more months to complete trial, Indrani permitted to seek travel permission again
Sadaf Modak is a distinguished Legal Correspondent based in Mumbai whose work demonstrates exceptional Expertise and Authority in covering the intricacies of the judicial and correctional systems.

Reporting for The Indian Express, she is a highly Trustworthy source for in-depth coverage of courtroom proceedings and human rights issues.

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