OTT platform Netflix informed the Bombay High Court on Thursday that it would defer the release of the documentary series on Indrani Mukerjea, who is currently on trial for allegedly killing her daughter Sheena Bora, until February 29, 2024.
A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Manjusha Deshpande directed the makers of the series to conduct a special screening for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the prosecuting agency.
The docu-series, titled ‘The Indrani Mukerjea Story: The Buried Truth’, explores the disappearance of 25-year-old Bora and was originally set to premiere on streaming platform Netflix on February 23 (Friday). The CBI had filed a petition in the high court seeking a stay on its release until the trial in the case concludes.
The bench inquired from the makers of the series if they were willing to arrange a screening for the CBI.
“Why should the CBI not be permitted to view the series? What is the difficulty in sharing the docu-series?” questioned the court. It noted that while an accused has rights, the prosecution and victim also have rights in a case.
Senior counsel Ravi Kadam, representing Netflix, initially objected, stating that this would constitute pre-censorship. He added that the CBI should have approached the court regarding the series earlier and not waited until the last moment. However, the bench pointed out that the trial in the case is ongoing, with witness statements still being recorded.
“It can be postponed for a week…Heavens are not going to fall,” remarked the Court.
Kadam suggested that the court itself could view the series if it desires. The bench humorously responded that it does not have the time to watch series. Nonetheless, it instructed the CBI’s advocate Shreeram Shirsat to also attend the special screening. “What your (CBI) officer may think and perceive is different from a law officer. You (Shirsat) are an officer of the court. We are giving you an opportunity to view it,” the court stated.
Kadam then assured the bench that the docu-series would not be released on the streaming platform until the next hearing on February 29. Additionally, Kadam informed the court that five witnesses, including Indrani’s son Mikhail (Sheena’s brother) and Vidhie Mukerjea, Indrani’s daughter from Peter Mukerjea, have been interviewed in the series. He mentioned that the statements of three witnesses from these five are yet to be recorded by the trial court.
The CBI approached the High Court after a special court rejected its application against the series on Tuesday.
According to the CBI, out of 237 witnesses, 89 have been examined so far before the trial court. Bora was allegedly strangled to death in a car by Indrani, her then driver Shyamvar Rai, and former husband Sanjeev Khanna in April 2012.
Bora was Indrani’s daughter from her previous relationship, and her body was burned in a forest in the neighboring Raigad district. The murder came to light in 2015 after Rai confessed about the killing following 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 Mukerjea, are also out on bail.