New Delhi, July 2: The Meghalaya government has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Meghalaya High Court order that upheld the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi.
The matter was mentioned before a bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Sheel Nagu by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Meghalaya government. Mehta sought an urgent hearing on Friday, and the bench said it would consider the request.
During the mention, Mehta argued that Sonam's bail had been denied on three earlier occasions due to concerns that she could abscond. However, the High Court later upheld the trial court's decision to grant bail, citing the failure of investigating authorities to fully communicate the grounds of her arrest at the time she was taken into custody.
According to Mehta, the alleged procedural lapse was limited to a typographical error in mentioning a section of the law and did not justify granting bail. He also told the court that there was a significant risk of Sonam fleeing if released.
The Supreme Court bench sought clarification on whether the High Court's order required Sonam's immediate release. After Mehta confirmed that it did, he requested that, if bail was not stayed, stringent conditions be imposed to ensure she remained available for the investigation and trial. The bench said it would examine the request for urgent listing on Friday.
On April 28, a local court granted bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, who is accused of conspiring to murder her husband during the couple's honeymoon in Meghalaya.
Raja Raghuvanshi, a newlywed from Indore in Madhya Pradesh, had travelled to Meghalaya with Sonam shortly after their marriage. The couple was reported missing during the trip, and Raja's body was recovered from a gorge near Sohra (Cherrapunji) on June 2. Sonam, who had also gone missing, was later traced near a roadside dhaba along the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway.
Investigators from the Meghalaya Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) later reconstructed the alleged crime scene in Sohra in the presence of Sonam and three other accused. The SIT has since filed a chargesheet supported by documentary and material evidence.
Apart from Sonam Raghuvanshi, the chargesheet names Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Ashish Singh Rajput and Anand Kurmi as co-accused. They have been charged under Sections 103(1), 238(a) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
