High Court Halts Netflix Documentary on Indrani Mukerjea, Orders Exclusive Screening for CBI

Do you remember the Sheena Bora Murder Case?

Where the line between truth and deception blurs. Indrani Mukherjea, a prominent media executive, stands accused of the chilling murder of her own 25-year-old daughter. But hold onto your seats, because the twists don’t end there.

As the trial of Indrani Mukherjea hits a pause, Netflix steps into the fray with a riveting documentary: “The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth.” However, before the world gets a glimpse, the Bombay High Court intervenes, ordering a special screening for none other than the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials embroiled in the intense investigation of the Sheena Bora murder case.

Originally slated for release tomorrow, the documentary’s unveiling hangs in suspense as the truth remains shrouded in mystery.

The court has directed Netflix to arrange a special screening, to be attended by CBI officials and lawyers. The case will be heard again next Thursday, resulting in the postponement of the docuseries release for this month.

Previously, the CBI had petitioned the court to halt the documentary’s screening until the murder trial concludes. Today, a division bench comprising Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Manjusha Deshpande requested the documentary makers to arrange a screening for the CBI.

The Bombay High Court questioned, “Why should the CBI be deprived of viewing the series? What obstacles prevent the sharing of the docuseries?”  It emphasized that, akin to the accused, both the prosecution and the victim in a case possess rights as well.

Initially, Senior Advocate Ravi Kadam, representing Netflix, objected to the screening, asserting that it would constitute pre-censorship. He also remarked that the CBI should have raised the issue with the court earlier. However, the court pointed out that the trial was still ongoing. “The release can be postponed for a week… The world won’t end,” remarked the court.

However, Mr Kadam asked the court if the court can view the series but the court disagreed over the time bound. Further the Netflix Council gave a statement that the documentary will not be released until the next hearing. The Netflix Council further told that the documentary hold interviews of the five witnesses in regard of the case. These include Indrani’s son Mikhail and Vidhie Mukerjea, her daughter from her second husband Peter Mukerjea.

What is Sheena Bora Case?

Sheena Bora, a professional working at Mumbai Metro One (Reliance Infrastructure) in Mumbai, vanished on April 24, 2012. By August 2015, Mumbai Police had detained her mother, Indrani Mukerjea, alongside her stepfather, Peter Mukerjea, and her mother’s driver, Shyamvar Pinturam Rai. They were arrested on allegations of allegedly kidnapping, killing, and later cremating Sheena Bora’s body.

The tangled family: 

According to Indrani Mukerjea’s revelations on the ANI podcast, she became a mother at the age of 18 after meeting Siddharth Das in Guwahati. Her son, Mikhail, was born out of wedlock. Das claimed to be Sheena’s biological father in court, but Indrani told ANI that Sheena was conceived after her father raped her for the second time. Fleeing her father’s house, she moved to Kolkata, where she met and fell in love with Sanjeev Khanna.

During this period, Indrani claimed her parents adopted her children, so Mikhail and Sheena never recognized her as their mother. She maintained they were her siblings since her parents had adopted them.

Indrani later married Sanjeev Khanna, but their relationship didn’t last, leading to separation. She then moved to Mumbai and married media mogul Peter Mukerjea, former owner of Star India, in 2002. Peter adopted Indrani’s daughter, Vidhie, and she took the Mukerjea name.

In 2005, Sheena discovered Indrani was her mother and came to Mumbai to reconnect. They lived together for nearly three years and developed a close bond, according to Indrani.

During this time, as reported in the media since the murder investigation, Sheena formed a relationship with Rahul Mukerjea, Peter’s son from a previous marriage. They lived together, separate from Peter and Indrani.