NEW DELHI/SHILLONG: The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice on the Meghalaya government’s petition challenging the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi honeymoon murder case. However, the top court declined to stay the bail order, noting that she has already been released from custody. A Bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Sheel Nagu directed Sonam to file her response and scheduled the matter for hearing next week.
During the proceedings, the Bench observed that it had “prima facie reservations” about the Meghalaya High Court’s judgment upholding her bail. At the same time, the court said it would closely watch how the trial progresses. Appearing for the Meghalaya government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that both the trial court and the High Court failed to properly consider important facts before granting bail. He maintained that Sonam had been informed about the grounds of her arrest and that the trial, involving more than 90 prosecution witnesses, is already underway. The state also argued that allowing the High Court order to stand could set an undesirable legal precedent.Despite these submissions, the Supreme Court declined to suspend the bail order, saying it had already been implemented.
The case stems from a June 29 judgment of the Meghalaya High Court, which upheld a Shillong court’s decision to grant bail to Sonam after finding serious procedural lapses in her arrest. The lower court had ruled that investigating officers repeatedly cited the wrong provision of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the arrest documents. Instead of mentioning Section 103(1), which deals with murder, the documents referred to Section 403(1). The court held that this was not a mere typographical error and concluded that Sonam had not been properly informed that she was being arrested for murder. The Meghalaya government challenged that finding, arguing the mistake caused no actual prejudice to the accused and should not have resulted in bail.
The case relates to the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, whose body was recovered from a gorge near Weisawdong Falls in Meghalaya during his honeymoon in 2025. Police allege that Sonam conspired with her alleged lover and hired assailants to kill her husband. The investigation has been completed and the trial is currently in progress.