New Delhi, July 2: The Meghalaya government has filed a challenge in the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision to grant bail to Sonam Raghuwanshi, the main accused in the high-profile murder case of transport businessman Raja Raghuwanshi. Raja was murdered during his honeymoon in May 2025.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the bench led by Justice M.M. Sundresh to expedite the hearing of the state’s petition. He argued that Sonam was granted bail on the grounds that she was not fully informed of the reasons for her arrest at the time.
Mehta pointed out a clerical error in the documentation, where only a legal section number was incorrectly typed. He asserted that such a minor technical mistake should not warrant bail. He also expressed concerns that if the bail remains, there is a risk of Sonam fleeing, necessitating immediate court attention.
On June 29, the Meghalaya High Court upheld the Shillong court’s order granting bail to Sonam Raghuwanshi, dismissing the state government’s appeal. Justice W. Diengdoh’s single bench rejected the state’s petition challenging the April 2026 order of the Additional District and Sessions Judge, which had granted bail due to significant procedural flaws in the arrest process.
The High Court noted that the arresting officers failed to properly communicate the basis for the arrest, impacting the accused’s right to defense. The court found that all arrest-related documents contained a reference to Section 403(1) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), instead of the correct Section 103(1), which pertains to murder.
While the prosecution claimed it was merely a typographical error, the court highlighted that this mistake was consistently found across all documents, and the accused was not formally informed of the murder charges.
The state government argued in the High Court that this was a procedural error that did not cause any real harm to the accused. They maintained that Sonam was aware of the murder charges, as she signed the arrest documents, appeared before a magistrate, and had legal representation.
However, the High Court did not accept the state’s argument and allowed Sonam to remain on bail, upholding the Shillong court’s order.
This case revolves around the murder of businessman Raja Raghuwanshi, who went missing with his wife Sonam during their honeymoon in Meghalaya in May 2025. Raja’s body was later discovered in a deep gorge near the Weesawdong Falls, showing multiple signs of trauma.
The police investigation alleged that Sonam conspired with her alleged lover and others to murder Raja. Following this, Sonam was arrested, and other suspects were apprehended from various states. After the investigation concluded, the police filed a charge sheet in court, and the case is currently in trial.
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