- By Surarika Das
- Fri, 03 Jul 2026 12:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Mehta argued that the accused may flee the country, and therefore, an urgent hearing is necessary.
- Meghalaya government told the court that it failed to submit the documents on time due to a minor typographical error.
- Raja Raghuvanshi's body was recovered from a deep ravine.
In the latest developments of the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the Meghalaya High Court's bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, who is accused of murdering her husband., during their honeymoon last year.. The Meghalaya High Court had earlier upheld a Shillong Court's April order granting her bail on procedural grounds. The court has issued a notice to Raghuvanshi, and the hearing is scheduled to continue on July 9.
Earlier, the Supreme Court refused to reject the bail, signifying that Raghuvanshi had already been released.
What Was The Argument?
The court pn Friday stated that no matter how serious the crime is, it is important to note that bail is a rule, while jail is an exception. The court further stated, "We have some reservations about the manner in which the High Court is handling this matter."
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Thursday argued in court that the High Court erred in granting bail to the main accused. Mehra argued that the accused may flee the country, and therefore, an urgent hearing is necessary.
Initially, the Meghalaya High Court upheld a lower court's decision granting bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi. The HC granted bail, noting that Sonam had not received all the documents necessary to establish the grounds for her arrest. It noted that all arrest-related documents, including the arrest memo, justification checklist, inspection memo, and case diary extract, incorrectly mentioned Section 403(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita instead of Section 103(1), which deals with the offense of murder.
To this, the Meghalaya government told the court that it failed to submit the documents on time due to a minor typographical error. A different legal section was cited in the documents, which caused confusion regarding the case.
The Chilling Murder Case
Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, went to celebrate their honeymoon in Sohra, Meghalaya, in May 2025. However, the two suddenly disappeared on May 23, 2025. Following a search operation on June 2, 2025, Raja Raghuvanshi's body was recovered from a deep ravine.
The 25-year-old woman plotted the murder with her purported lover, Raj Kushwaha (an accountant at her brother's firm in Indore), to eliminate her husband and secure financial gain. The two hired three hired assailants—Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi—traveled from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to Meghalaya to execute the crime.
While visiting the Weisawdong Falls area in Sohra, Sonam reportedly signaled the start of the attack by acting exhausted and walking behind her husband. At her cue, the hired men attacked Raja from behind and hacked him to death using machetes.
After the murder, the group threw Raja's body into a deep gorge. Sonam and the assailants then fled the area, disposing of bloodstained raincoats and the hired vehicles.