Sonam And Raja Raghuvanshi
Shillong: Citing police procedural lapses, a local court in Shillong granted bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, prime accused in the murder of her husband, Indore-based transport businessman, Raja Raghuvanshi at Sohra on May 23, 2025.Additional DC (Judicial), East Khasi Hills, Shillong, Dashalene R. Kharbteng granted bail on grounds that cops had failed to effectively communicate to her the grounds of her arrest, which caused prejudice to her defence.She was arrested from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on June 8, 2025, in connection with her husband’s murder case, weeks after her May 12 marriage.The couple from Indore arrived in Shillong on May 21 and visited Sohra on May 26, from where they went missing under mysterious circumstances, before Sonam resurfaced in UP later.During the bail hearing, the court noted that the “Intimation of grounds of arrest” format presented to her contained unticked checkboxes and it also referred to an incorrect penal section of BNS.In all documents, including the checklist for justification of arrest and the case diary extract, the police had erroneously referred to Section 403(1) BNS, the court pointed out.In none of the documents the petitioner was intimated that she was actually being arrested for offence under Section 103(1) BNS, the court said and rejected the contention that it was a clerical error, observing that “…such error cannot occur in all documents”.She was denied bail by the court on three earlier occasions but secured it in her fourth appeal. The court directed Sonam to furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000 along with a surety of the same amount, Special Public Prosecutor KC Gautam said.She was also directed to remain in Shillong and appear before it during subsequent hearings.Earlier on September 6, 2025, the Meghalaya police had filed a 790-page charge-sheet against the accused persons before the Judicial Magistrate First Class at Sohra, framing charges against them under various sections of the BNS.“The accused has been granted bail by the court. However, necessary legal procedures are being followed, and the police will continue to pursue the matter as per law,” said Vivek Syiem, superintendent of police (East Khasi Hills)Sonam’s father, who is in the city, avoided the media but her bail order drew widespread reactions with Raja’s family announcing plans to move a higher court, seeking cancellation of the order.Police said Sonam allegedly planned the murder of her husband Raja during their honeymoon trip to Sohra (Cherrapunjee), a popular tourist destination in Meghalaya.A massive search operation was launched involving a special investigating team (SIT) of the Meghalaya police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), special units, and local volunteers. After several days of intensive search, Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was retrieved from a deep gorge near a waterfall below the Weisawdong Parking Lot at Riat Arliang under Sohra Civil Sub-Division of East Khasi Hills district on June 2, 2025.Sonam, along with four other co-accused, including her alleged paramour Raj Kushwaha, Akash Rajput, Anand Kurmi and Vishal Singh Chauhan were arrested from different locations in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in June 2025.
