Sheena Bora Murder Case : Mumbai Court Permits CBI To Examine Additional Witness

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A special court in Mumbai has  permitted the CBI to examine an additional witness, an aide of the late general manager of a hotel in Worli, in the Sheena Bora murder case trial involving her mother Indrani Mukerjea and others.

Special judge J P Darekar ruled that the evidence of the proposed witness “goes to the root of the case and it is indispensable”.

The CBI had originally mentioned Vernon Fernandes, the General Manager of Hotel Hill Top in Worli, as a key prosecution witness.

According to the prosecution, Fernandes had handed over documents concerning the stay of the murder case accused Sanjeev Khanna at the hotel on April 24 and 25, 2012, which coincide with the dates of the crime.

However, Fernandes passed away before he could be examined during the trial and his death certificate was submitted to the court on December 14, 2022.

Thus, to authenticate the hotel documents, the prosecution requested the court to bring in a replacement witness, Narayan Pathak, who worked alongside the late Fernandes at the hotel.

The CBI submitted that Pathak is acquainted with Fernandes’s handwriting and is competent to identify his signatures on the relevant documents.

The prosecution clarified that it was not intending to introduce any fresh documentary evidence through this witness.

The necessity of examining the proposed witness has arisen solely on account of the subsequent demise of Vernon Fernandes, which was beyond the control of the prosecution, the CBI said