Ketan Agarwal Murder: The murder case of Mumbai-based businessman Ketan Agarwal has been creating headlines since the Pune police found out that his 20-year-old fiancee, Siya Goyal, is behind his killing. 26-Year-Old Ketan was pushed from the centuries-old Lohagad Fort in Pune on June 18, allegedly by Siya Goyal and her friend Chetan Chaudhary.
Now, as the probe into the case intensifies, with police planning a gait analysis of accused Chetan Chaudhary, a new legal twist has emerged in the murder case. Advocate Ashutosh Srivastava, who claims to have been hired by Siya Goyal to represent her in the case, has sent a Rs 10 crore defamation notice to her brother Sahil Goyal over alleged defamatory statements.
Ketan Agarwal Murder: Dispute In Goyal Family Over Lawyer
In the notice, Advocate Srivastava stated that Siya Goyal had formally appointed him as her legal counsel through a duly executed vakalatnama (authorisation letter). Earlier last week, Sahil Goyal had claimed that they had not appointed Ashutosh Srivastava as their lawyer and asserted that Advocate Vipul Dushing had been appointed to represent them.
However, Srivastava claimed that his vakalatnama has already been accepted and placed on record before the Vadgaon Maval Court to represent Siya Goyal. "We have sent a Rs 10 crore defamation notice to Sahil Goyal. We did this because we heard a statement from him where he is stating completely false facts, lying, and attempting to mislead the public," he said.
"As far as the accused, Siya Goyal, is concerned, she has signed and authorised all necessary legal documents in every proper manner, and those documents, including the Vakalatnama have already been filed in court. She has granted us the legal authority for her High Court representation as well, which we will oversee moving forward," Ashutosh Srivastava said.
Ashutosh alleged that despite legal compliance, Sahil publicly questioned his authority to represent Siya Goyal without first verifying the legal documents or contacting him. "We have absolutely nothing to do with Sahil Goyal. We haven't spoken to him, had no communication with him on any subject, and exchanged no emails. Hence, a statement of this nature from him is highly irresponsible, defamatory, and constitutes an outright attack on the legal fraternity," he said.
"As an accused, Siya Goyal has every legal right to retain a lawyer. Even if she wishes to change her counsel at any point, there is a formal legal procedure for that, which strictly requires a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Sahil Goyal must issue an apology for his statement, because we do not represent him, and he holds absolutely no authority to give false statements," Ashutosh added.
The notice also warns that if no satisfactory response is received within the stipulated time, Srivastava will initiate appropriate legal proceedings, including a civil claim seeking Rs 10 crore in damages for alleged defamation and reputational loss.
Sahil Goyal Questions Ashutosh Srivastava's Authority
The controversy began ahead of a court hearing in the case on Monday, when Sahil Goyal publicly questioned Srivastava's authority to represent his sister. Speaking to the media, Sahil alleged that Srivastava had neither been appointed nor authorised by the family and claimed that he may have obtained Siya Goyal's signature "by deceit".
Sahil Goyal maintained that the family had not hired Srivastava as their lawyer and asserted that Advocate Vipul Dushing had been appointed to represent them. He also stated that the family had filed an affidavit before the court regarding the issue and alleged that Srivastava had issued threats to them.