Susairaj denied bail

Express News Service Posted: Sep 17, 2008 at 0043 hrs
Mumbai, September 16 The sessions court on Tuesday rejected the bail application filed by actor Maria Susairaj, co-accused in the Neeraj Grover murder case.

Additional Sessions Judge S T Mahajan rejected the bail plea observing that there was prima facie evidence of Susairaj’s involvement in the murder along with her naval officer boyfriend Emile Jerome Mathew. This is the second application moved by Susairaj, who is pleading not guilty for murder.

The court also rejected defence’s plea of making Susairaj an accused only in the part pertaining to the destruction of evidence. The defence had argued that the murder was not pre-mediated since Susairaj had called Jerome 20 times on May 6, the night of the incident, pleading him to come to Mumbai.

The judge also observed that Susairaj’s conduct was dubious and hence her participation in both the murder and destruction of evidence can well be assumed at this stage of trial. Susairaj’s lawyers, G Kannur and Ponda, now plan to approach the Bombay High Court challenging the sessions court order.

While the defence had maintained that there was no conspiracy theory in the case, Public Prosecutor R V Kini argued that Susairaj was angry with Grover after he failed to get her a role in TV serials and movies.

Susairaj’s counsel Harshad Ponda had argued that if the murder was pre-mediated then Susairaj would have called Jerome to Mumbai earlier and not at the last moment.