Peter Mukerjea was never against Rahul-Sheena relationship

Former media baron Peter Mukerjea's lawyer on Tuesday told in the Bombay High Court that his client never objected to the relations between his son Rahul and Sheena Bora, his wife Indrani's daughter from earlier relationship.

Only Indrani, the main accused in Sheena murder case, was opposed to this relationship, said advocate Aabad Ponda, seeking bail for Peter.

Arguing before Justice N W Sambre, Ponda said Peter was not aware of any conspiracy allegedly hatched by Indrani, her ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and her driver Shyamwar Rai to kill Sheena.

He claimed that when Peter came to know in 2011 that Rahul and Sheena had got engaged, he sent an SMS to his son from his driver's phone congratulating him and giving them his blessings.

"He did not have any hatred towards Sheena. The only fault of Peter was that he obeyed everything Indrani told him which is why he is in jail now. When Indrani told Peter to stop talking to Rahul he agreed. But he was not aware of what conspiracy Indrani was hatching," Ponda said.

Citing confessional statement of the driver Rai, Ponda said, "The statement clearly says Indrani wanted to kill both Sheena and Mikhail Bora as they were both threatening to reveal to everyone that they were her children and not siblings as she had claimed and they demanded money from her."

Peter, arrested by CBI in the case last November, has moved the HC for bail after the sessions court rejected his plea.

CBI has contended that Peter, with Indrani and Sanjeev Khanna, entered into a criminal conspiracy to kill Sheena as they were opposed to her relationship with Peter's son Rahul. "Peter was not against Rahul and Sheena's relationship. Indrani was against the relationhip and in fact Peter and Indrani had frequent quarrels over this. Peter was only against Rahul and Sheena living together without getting married and with no job. Peter objected only to them living together in 2007 and he separated them," Ponda argued.