The sensational murder case of Ketan Agarwal from Pune in Maharashtra has reached the Supreme Court as a reference during the bail hearing of Sonam Raghuvanshi – the accused in another similar alleged crime that rocked the country around the same time last year.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to send Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the alleged murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya last year, back to jail for the time being, even as she expressed reservations over the Meghalaya High Court’s order granting her bail, HT had reported earlier.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Shil Nagu accepted the Meghalaya government’s appeal challenging the Supreme Court’s June 29 ruling. She issued a notice to Sonam, refusing to continue with the bail order after learning that she had been released. “Prima facie, we would have stayed the bail order, but since she has already been released, we do not want to interfere,” the bench noted, sending the matter for further hearing on July 9.
“Husband killed because he wore a wig”
During the hearing, Justice Sundresh cited a Pune case in which a 20-year-old woman – Siya Goyal – was accused of killing her fiancé – Ketan Agarwal – on June 18 with the help of a 22-year-old man, Chetan Chaudhary, believed to be her boyfriend. The woman allegedly pushed her 25-year-old fiancé, a real estate broker in Pune, by pushing him off a cliff during a trek in Lohagad Fort near Lonavala, in what was initially reported to be an accidental death.
As Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represents the Meghalaya Police, said on Friday during Sonam Raghuvanshi’s bail hearing that “these cases have increased,” Justice Sundresh referred to what he described as a “sensational case” from Bengaluru in Karnataka.
“We do not want to say anything more than that… introspection is required from various stakeholders,” Justice Sandrich said.
In addition, General Secretary Mehta referred to the case of Ketan Agarwal, saying: “Recently, a wife killed her husband on their honeymoon on the grounds that the husband was wearing a wig.”
Judge Sandrich said in response: We do not want to say anything.
The exact motive behind the alleged crime is still under investigation, with multiple theories – most surrounding Sia’s alleged reluctance to marry – emerging during the investigation, the latest being that she was not happy about Ketan wearing a wig.
The Supreme Court on Friday noted that while it does not like the logic adopted by the apex court, it is equally aware of the consequences of sending an accused back to jail after being released on bail. “We are aware that whatever the seriousness of the alleged crime, there is a presumption of innocence,” the bench said, adding that it would consider issuing appropriate orders to expedite the trial after Sonam files her reply.
The case relates to the murder of 29-year-old Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who traveled to Meghalaya with Sonam after their wedding in May 2025. The couple disappeared after checking out of a house in Nongriat on May 23. Raja’s body was later recovered from a gorge near Wisawdong Falls in Sohra, while Sonam was traced days later in Uttar Pradesh.
