Meghalaya honeymoon murder: SC refuses to stay Sonam Raghuvanshi's bail, seeks response on state's plea
Guwahati: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to stay the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the alleged murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. However, the court agreed to examine the Meghalaya government’s challenge to the bail order.
A Bench of the apex court noted that while it had certain reservations about aspects of the Meghalaya High Court’s ruling, Sonam had already been released on bail. It therefore refused to pass any interim order staying her release, but issued notice to her and sought her response to the state’s appeal. The matter will be heard further once her reply is filed.
Sonam is accused of conspiring to kill her husband during their trip to Sohra, Meghalaya, in May 2025. According to the prosecution, she allegedly hired contract killers to carry out the murder. Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was later recovered from a gorge, leading to a high-profile investigation by the Meghalaya Police. She and several others were subsequently arrested, though she has denied the allegations.
The Meghalaya government has challenged the June 29 order of the High Court, which upheld a Shillong trial court’s decision granting bail to Sonam. The High Court had pointed to procedural lapses in the arrest records, including an incorrect reference to the penal provision in the arrest memo and held that these defects affected the legality of the arrest. The state, however, has argued that the error was merely clerical and should not outweigh the seriousness of the charges.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the Supreme Court to stay the bail, arguing that the High Court had given undue weight to a technical defect despite strong evidence in the case. The apex court, however, declined to interfere at this stage, noting that Sonam was already out on bail.