The family of an Indore businessman who was killed during his honeymoon in Meghalaya last year plans to petition the Supreme Court to cancel the bail of his wife, the primary accused in the murder.
This decision follows a ruling by the Meghalaya High Court, which rejected the state government’s request to overturn the bail granted to the accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi.
Speaking from Indore, the victim’s elder brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, announced that the family would soon start the legal process to file an appeal with the Supreme Court. Expressing dissatisfaction with the prosecution’s handling of the case, he stated that the family intends to hire a private attorney to pursue the legal battle independently. He also questioned the legal errors committed by the Meghalaya Police during the initial arrest.
Constitutional Violations and Police Errors
The Meghalaya High Court upheld the lower court’s April 27 decision to grant bail after identifying major procedural errors by the arresting officers. In its ruling, the High Court determined that the police failed to properly inform the accused of the grounds for her arrest.
According to the court, the flawed communication process demonstrated a failure of judicial reasoning by the arresting agency, which compromised the integrity of the arrest itself. The court concluded that the accused had a strong basis to argue that she was never effectively informed of the reasons for her detention during the initial phase.
The High Court ruled that these procedural failures violated Article 22(1) of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees an arrestee’s right to be informed of the charges and to consult legal counsel. The police action also violated Section 47(1) of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, which mandates that authorities must communicate the grounds of arrest and specific charges to an accused individual at the time of detention.
Background of the Investigation
The case stems from the death of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose family operates a transport business. He married Sonam on May 11, 2025, in Indore, and the couple arrived in Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20.
Three days later, on May 23, Sonam was reported missing. On June 2, 2025, search teams recovered Raja’s body from a deep ravine near a waterfall in the Sohra area of East Khasi Hills district.
Following an investigation, authorities arrested Sonam in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on June 9, 2025, charging her with conspiracy to murder her husband. She spent more than ten months in judicial custody at the Shillong District Jail before her initial release on bail. Police also arrested her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, and three of his friends for their suspected involvement in the homicide.
