This clears the way for the series to be released on the OTT platform Netflix.
Mumbai:
The Bombay High Court on Thursday said it finds nothing against the prosecution or trial of Indrani Mukerjea, accused of murdering her daughter Sheena Bora, in the Netflix docu-series.
A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Manjusha Deshpande rejected the plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking to stay the release of the film until the hearing of the case is completed.
This clears the way for the series to be released on the OTT platform Netflix.
The bench said it has seen the series and did not find anything in it which would have an adverse impact on the trial or prosecution.
The docu-series, titled ‘The Indrani Mukherjee Story: The Buried Truth’, tells the story of 25-year-old Bora’s disappearance and was scheduled to premiere on streaming platform Netflix on February 23.
The bench had last week directed Netflix to organize a special screening of the series for the concerned CBI officers and lawyers. Netflix then said that it would not air the series until Thursday (February 29).
On Thursday, Additional Solicitor General Devang Vyas, appearing for the CBI, said that this series adversely affects the administration of justice and fair trial. He claimed that this could create public perception which would in turn influence the judicial mind. However, the High Court said that it had also watched the series and thought that the CBI would not insist on its demand against the series.
The bench said, “There is nothing in the series that goes against the prosecution or the case. We tried to look into it from every angle, but to be honest, we found nothing.”
It added that not a single witness, interviewed by the makers of the series, has said a single word against the prosecution.
The High Court said, “Not a single witness has said anything. We should not say much as the series is yet to be released. Tell us which witness has said anything contrary to the prosecution? In fact it is in favor of the prosecution.” Is.”
The court further said that media trials and debates on ongoing cases are nothing new and there cannot be any censoring.
The bench said, “Public perceptions may be influenced by newspapers and everything. But the judiciary is not influenced by all this. We only go by the evidence and the evidence presented before us. Public perception is of least concern to the court. subject is.”
It says that people watch such series and movies and move on and no one keeps it with them.
The court said that what accused Indrani Mukerjea has said in the series is already available in the public domain.
“Initially, we felt that the CBI had genuine apprehension and hence we gave it an opportunity to watch the series and we did not even allow the other side to argue,” the HC said.
The court said, “But we have looked and honestly we have not found anything that goes against the prosecution.”
The court further noted that some books have already been published on the case and even two films have been made.
The bench also refused to allow Indrani’s ex-husband and co-accused in the case, Peter Mukherjee, to intervene in the case.
Peter’s lawyer Manjula Rao said that the series is presenting him in a bad image. However, the court said that if he wishes, he can file a separate suit.
The CBI moved the High Court after a special court on Tuesday rejected its application against the series. According to the CBI, so far 89 out of 237 witnesses have been examined before the trial court.
In April 2012, Bora was allegedly strangled to death in a car by Indrani, her then driver Shyamvar Rai and ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna. Bora was Indrani’s daughter from a previous relationship. His body was burnt in the forest of neighboring Raigarh district.
The murder came to light in 2015 when Rai revealed about the murder after his arrest in another case. Indrani was arrested in August 2015 and granted bail in May 2022. The other accused in the case, Rai, Khanna and Peter Mukherjee, are also out on bail.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
