Mumbai: For time-being, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has dropped Vidhie Mukherjea, daughter of Indrani Mukerjea, from the list of witnesses it wishes to examine in the Sheena Bora murder case. The agency on Tuesday submitted a final list of witnesses, which includes 69 persons, asserting that it is committed to speedy trial.
The CBI said that the prosecution witnesses will be examined on priority, while others will be examined only if need arises after the testimonies of those included in the list. In this manner, the trial may be conducted expeditiously, the agency said in its application. The list was submitted after the court last week asked the prosecution to conduct the trial on a day-to-day basis and also directed to submit a consolidated list of witnesses.
The CBI’s dilemma to examine Vidhie maybe due to her proximity with Indrani. Soon after the latter’s release from jail, Vidhie, through Indrani’s lawyer Ranjeet Sangle, had moved an application to allow her to stay with her mother. The plea was, however, rejected after the CBI’s objections.
Vidhie is Indrani’s daughter from her second marriage with Sanjeev Khanna, making her Sheena’s half-sister. She is said to be a crucial witness as once in her conversation, she allegedly disclosed about Indrani’s plan to eliminate someone. She apparently even knows about the alleged rift between Indrani, Sheena and Rahul, Peter Mukerjea’s (one of Indrani’s husband) son from an earlier marriage.
Indrani, Khanna and their driver Shyamvar Rai, are accused of murdering Sheena, who was her daughter from a previous marriage. Peter was said not to be involved in actual murder, but is alleged to be part of the conspiracy.
