Meghalaya: Court frames charges against five in Raja Raghuvanshi murder case

Guwahati: The District and Sessions Court in Shillong has framed charges against five key accused in connection with the murder of Indore-based Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya's Sohra on May 23.

According to Sujit Dey, legal counsel for the victim’s family, the charges have been framed against Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput, and Anand Kurmi.

They face charges under Sections 103(1) (murder), 238(a) (disappearance of evidence), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police said Raja and his wife, Sonam, arrived in Shillong on May 21 before proceeding to Sohra. The couple was reported missing on May 26, leading to an extensive search operation by the Sohra Police, Special Operations Team, NDRF, SDRF, local trekking groups, and volunteers.

After several days of search, Raja’s body was recovered on June 2 from a deep gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls. A case was registered at the Sohra Police Station.

Investigations revealed that Sonam was allegedly in a relationship with Raj Kushwaha and that the two, with help from three hired men, conspired to kill Raja during their honeymoon.

The murder was reportedly carried out by the hired assailants in Sonam’s presence.

Within a week, all five accused, including Sonam, were arrested. Police later submitted a 790-page chargesheet before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Sohra Sub-Division, on September 5.

The court, during the framing of charges on Tuesday, October 28, observed that there is sufficient evidence to proceed against the accused. The defence has maintained that the accused are innocent.

The trial is expected to begin soon. Police said they plan to file a supplementary chargesheet against three others, namely Silome James, Lokendra Singh Tomar, and Balbir Ahirwar, who were arrested for allegedly destroying evidence.

All three are currently out on bail.