Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, has told the Supreme Court that she is innocent and wrongly implicated in the case.
In her affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, Sonam opposed the Meghalaya government’s plea seeking cancellation of the bail granted to her by the Meghalaya High Court, arguing that the prosecution’s case is based solely on suspicion and circumstantial evidence. She said mere allegations could not be treated as evidence of guilt and urged the court not to interfere in the bail order.
“I am innocent and have been falsely accused,” Sonam said in her response, adding that the prosecution built its case on assumptions and not reliable evidence. She confirmed that she was wrongly accused in this case.
The affidavit was filed after the Meghalaya government approached the Supreme Court against the Meghalaya High Court’s June 29 order, which upheld the trial court’s decision to grant bail to Sonam.
The Supreme Court allows Sonam to remain out on bail
Hearing the matter, the Supreme Court refused to send Sonam back to jail, stating that she had already been released following the Supreme Court order. While the authority expressed its reservations about the rationale adopted by the Supreme Court in granting bail, it said that it was not inclined to intervene at this stage.
The court noted that there is a presumption of innocence until guilt is proven, and said that the accusations against Sonam will ultimately be tested during the trial.
It also noted that if bail is granted solely due to a procedural flaw in the arrest process, nothing in the law prevents the authorities from arresting an accused again after complying with the legal requirements.
Read also: “Exception…” – Why the Supreme Court refused to send Sonam Raghuvanshi back to jail
During the hearing, Sonam’s lawyer said that she was not properly informed of the reasons for her arrest, and was denied relevant legal assistance at the time of her arrest. However, the Supreme Court questioned why these objections had not been raised before the lower courts during their previous bail applications.
Meghalaya says the bail was granted due to a clerical error
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Meghalaya government, said the case involved a “shocking” and premeditated murder and that the Supreme Court granted bail due to a typographical error in arrest documents.
According to the state, the arrest warrant mistakenly referred to Section 403 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act instead of Section 103, which deals with murders. Mehta maintained that the error was purely clerical and did not affect the accused. He also pointed out that Sonam’s bail had been rejected on three previous occasions, as courts found preliminary evidence against her.
During the recent hearing, the Supreme Court also indicated that it may consider referring to a larger bench the legal question of whether a typographical error in the arrest warrant is enough to invalidate the arrest and justify granting bail.
Raja Raghuvanshi murder case
Raja Raghuvanshi, a businessman from Indore, was allegedly murdered during a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya in May 2025. The couple disappeared after checking out of a house in Nongria, and Raja’s body was later recovered from a gorge near Wisawdong Falls in Sohra.
Meghalaya Police alleged that Sonam conspired with her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, and other accused to kill Raja as part of a pre-planned conspiracy. A more than 700-page indictment has been filed in this case, and the trial is currently underway with cross-examination of witnesses.
