Raj Raghuvanshi murder: Meghalaya Police moves Supreme Court against Sonam Raghuvanshi’s bail

Sonam Raghuvanshi, Indore, accused of plotting her husband’s murder during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, was brought to Ghazipur Hospital for medical examination. File | Photo credit: PTI

The Meghalaya Police on Thursday (July 2, 2026) asked the Supreme Court for an immediate stay on the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the main accused in the alleged murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya.

Advocate General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state, mentioned the matter before a vacation bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Sheel Naga and sought an urgent hearing.

The lawyer pointed out that the Meghalaya High Court on June 29 upheld the Shillong trial court’s order granting bail to Ms. Raghuvanshi on the grounds that the police had failed to communicate effectively the reasons for her arrest. He argued that there was a likely risk of the accused absconding if bail was granted.

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“The High Court granted bail saying that she was not given the reasons for her arrest… But it was just a typographical error. We want the bail order to remain. If she is released, she will run away,” Mr. Mehta said.

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The bench granted the request and agreed to list the matter for hearing on Friday (July 3, 2026).

The Supreme Court dismissed the state’s appeal against the April 2026 order of Additional Deputy Commissioner (Judicial) Shillong granting bail to Ms. Raghuvanshi on procedural grounds. Judge W. Diengdoh ruled that the police failed to effectively communicate the reasons for her arrest, thereby violating the constitutional guarantees available to an arrested person.

Rejecting the prosecution’s claim that the discrepancy was merely a harmless clerical or typographical error, the High Court ruled that the document purporting to communicate the reasons for the arrest had been prepared “without any consideration” and contained statements unrelated to the case.

“If the manner in which the outlining of the reasons for the arrest is done, it reflects a complete non-application of judicious thinking on the part of the arresting authority,” the apex court observed. He observed that such glaring errors struck at the very foundation of the arrest process and justified the grant of bail.

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“The fundamental basis for establishing a case against the accused/respondent having been found to be lacking, all other attempts to remedy subsequent steps or trial will have to fail,” Justice Diengdoh said.

However, the judge clarified that the findings were limited to the legality of the arrest procedure and did not call into question the investigation or the judicial process.

Before the High Court, the state, represented by Advocate General Amit Kumar, submitted that the inadvertent error did not cause any actual prejudice to the accused, who was fully aware of the nature and seriousness of the charges against her. He argued that the defect was merely procedural and by itself could not constitute a valid reason for granting bail.

The case relates to the murder of Indore-based businessman Raj Raghuvanshi, who had traveled to Meghalaya with his wife Sonam for their honeymoon in May 2025. The couple went missing on May 23 while vacationing in the state’s Sohra area. Raji Raghuvanshi’s body was pulled out of a deep ravine on June 2.

According to the prosecution, Sonam conspired with hired assailants to assassinate her husband in a conspiracy allegedly hatched with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha to secure financial gain.

Published – 02 Jul 2026 12:35 PM IST