Indrani Mukherjea Sought Quashing of FIR in Byculla Rioting Case

Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, approached the Bombay High Court seeking a quashing of the FIR filed against her in a 2017 prison rioting case.

In 2015, Indrani was lodged in the Byculla Women's prison for the murder of Sheena Bora. In 2017, a 31-year-old inmate was allegedly killed by prison officials. In vengeance, angry women inmates threw cutlery and utensils on the officials. An FIR was lodged against Mukherjea alleging that Mukerjea along with the other inmates incited prisoners to shout and throw pots and plates at police officials. The prisoners refused to stop despite repeated orders to do so, which prompted the jail officials to call the police officers from Nagpada police station in Mumbai.

The police officials complained that one of the co-accused damaged government property by breaking the prison door and smashing it to pieces, among other damages, and injured the complainant and other prison staff.

Later, Mukherjee was granted bail by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Esplanade, Mumbai. The FIR is now sought to be quashed by way of the present petition on the following grounds:

• Mukerjea has been falsely implicated as she was neither a part of the alleged attack;
• Hitting prison officials is an allegation against co-accused and not against the petitioner;
• The officials co-ordinated assaults against the inmates to suppress the illegal custodial death at their hands;
• Mukerjea was she was beaten up and threatened not to file a complaint;
• Five jail constables along with a few wardens are in judicial custody for allegedly killing the prison inmate.

Given the above, Indrani has sought for quashing of the FIR.