In his third attempt to move out of jail, Indrani Mukerjea’s driver, Shyamwar Rai, who is an accused-turned-approver in the Sheena Bora murder case, has written to the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court for parole for a month.
As per the provisions of the Prisons’ Act, a convict is eligible to seek parole, through which he is allowed to spend some period in society and with his family. However, the same is not available for undertrial prisoners.
In his handwritten plea to the court, written on February 22, Rai claimed that his mother is very ill and there is no one in the village to look after her.
He further claims that his daughter is in a state of shock after his arrest and is unable to focus on her studies. He has pleaded that he may be allowed to be released on parole to look after his family.
He had previously sought bail twice on similar grounds. The court has directed the prosecution to file a reply to Rai’s plea.
The CBI court had previously rejected the pleas, stating that the approver cannot be released on bail till the end of the trial. The court had, however, given him a lawyer for legal aid. Rai has reportedly not consulted the lawyer.
Meanwhile, the prosecution on Tuesday examined the security supervisor of Marlow building, where Mukerjea and her husband Peter stayed. He told the court that on the day when Sheena was murdered, and the next day, he had seen Mukerjea and Rai entering and leaving the building numerous times.
During the deposition, the court found that several statements of witnesses taken by the Khar police were not on record. It has now summoned the investigating officer in the next hearing.
