The motherly side of Indrani - Wail of other daughter

Ananya Sengupta, TT, Mumbai, Aug. 31: Indrani Mukerjea, accused of murdering her elder daughter and trying to kill her son, was caught up in a display of motherly affection in a jam-packed courtroom today.

Indrani and her youngest, Vidhie, held each other in a tight hug and broke down, the mother sobbing and the 17-year-old daughter wailing loudly.

Moments earlier, the court had remanded both of the teen's parents - Indrani and ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna - back in police custody till September 5 over the murder of Vidhie's stepsister Sheena Bora.

Similarly remanded was Indrani's driver Shamwar Rai, who was at the wheel when Indrani and Sanjeev are alleged to have sedated and strangled Sheena, 23, in a car three years ago.

Vidhie, who lived in Mumbai with Indrani and her husband Peter Mukerjea, former STAR India CEO, had arrived at the courtroom around noon. A large crowd - mostly journalists and lawyers - jostled inside the small, stuffy room.

The hearing began at 3pm after the magistrate had disposed of a string of other cases - petty thefts, minor accidents, bitter break-ups and saas-bahu battles.

Vidhie, dressed in black and standing with a relative at the back, tried to inch closer to where her mother stood facing the magistrate.

Vidhie, Indrani Mukerjea’s
daughter, arrives at the
Bandra court. (PTI)

About 15 minutes later, as the court passed its order, Indrani's mask of composure slipped. She seemed to wobble on her feet for a few seconds before squatting down on her haunches.

But she recovered quickly as her lawyer sought the court's permission for a mother-daughter meeting. A little later, Vidhie was led away by a relative from the tearful reunion, still weeping audibly.

The court rejected the defence request to let Indrani and Sanjeev eat home food after the police argued they could be poisoned. The police hinted at the involvement of influential people, some from outside Maharashtra.

The magistrate ruled that the police would provide the accused with both food and medicines. Sanjeev has high blood pressure.

Earlier, the three accused had walked in minutes before 3pm, struggling to make it to their designated spots through the crush of journalists.

As they stood facing the magistrate, they were asked to raise their hoods and show their faces. Rai showed his almost fully but Sanjeev provided just a glimpse, lifting his hood partially with shaking hands.

Indrani, who wore khaki trousers and a blue striped shirt, defiantly removed the black dupatta covering her face and stared straight back at the judge for a few seconds.

Her lawyer Gunjan Mangla - senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani's junior - demanded she be allowed to meet Indrani without any cop present.

"My client was arrested on August 25 and has since then been interrogated for about 90 hours," Mangla said.

"They got her custody for six days; there's nothing left to ask her. The police are awaiting forensic evidence, for which they don't require her."

Hrishikesh Mundergi represented Sanjeev but Rai had no lawyers.

The police said they suspected a financial motive behind the murder and needed further custodial interrogation.

The remand application did not mention the allegation, reported in the media, that Indrani had hired a hitman to kill her son Mikhail. But it cited the young man's claim that Indrani had attempted to poison him by spiking his drink the day Sheena was murdered.

To the charges of murder, kidnapping and destruction of evidence in the case, the police have now added the charges of attempted murder and poisoning with intent to commit an offence.

Sources told The Telegraph that a lawyer had called up Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria to complain Indrani was being beaten up in custody.

The senior lawyer apparently said Indrani had bruises on her and her face looked swollen when his junior met her yesterday, and that he would soon lodge a formal complaint.

Journalists did not have a clear view of Indrani's face in the courtroom today. But when the magistrate asked the trio whether they had any complaints against the police, all three said they hadn't.

Police sources said a team would visit Calcutta to try and meet Sheena's purported father and Indrani's former husband Siddhartha Das, so far a shadowy figure in the case, who is apparently in the Bengal capital.

The police told the court they were yet to search the offices of Indrani and Sanjeev -in Mumbai and Calcutta, respectively - and were going through the online communications between them. They said they were looking for Sanjeev's passport and Sheena's mobile.