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Journalism of Courage
FORMER MEDIA executive Indrani Mukerjea, who is an accused in the murder of her daughter Sheena Bora, on Wednesday sought a special court to issue directives to the CBI to expedite the trial in the case by holding it in a day-to-day basis and conclude it within six months.
In her application, Mukerjea, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court in May last year, said that the delay in concluding the trial deprives her of fundamental right to work in the country of her nationality as also her freedom to travel freely.
Mukerjea is a UK national and an Overseas Citizen of India.
Her passport is deposited with the court.
Her plea states that while she was in jail since her arrest in 2015, the CBI examined 71 witnesses and intends to examine 92 more. Her plea states at this pace, the trial is likely to go on for several more years and denies her the right of speedy justice.
“The CBI during various bail hearings of the present Applicant before the Hon’ble High Court had claimed that not more than 30-40 witnesses are remaining for recording evidence and as such had opposed the bail of the Applicant. Now a magical list of 92 witnesses has come forth. And there is a possibility of additional witnesses. All in all, the trial is likely to go on for several more years at snail’s pace if the prosecuting agency conducts the same in this fashion. The Applicant is fully aware that the agency is overburdened and understaffed and is running around the country in effort to conduct the trials. However, that ought not to deny the fundamental right of a speedy trial to the Accused Applicant,” the plea states.
The court has asked CBI to file a reply.
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