A Shillong court has granted bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of arranging the murder of her husband Raja during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. The court cited failure to effectively communicate grounds of arrest. She was arrested in June 2025.
On April 27, additional DC (Judicial) D R Kharbtend in Shillong ordered Sonam Raghuvanshi's release on bail. The court observed that the intimation of grounds of arrest did not mention section 103(1) of the BNS, pertaining to murder punishment. It noted that such errors appeared in all documents and specific facts were not communicated to her.
Sonam was arrested on June 9, 2025, along with four others including Raj Kushwaha, with whom she allegedly had a relationship. She has been lodged in Shillong's District Prison. Raja's body was recovered from a gorge below Wei Sawdong falls in Sohra after the couple went missing on May 23, 2025, during their honeymoon.
Meghalaya police filed a chargesheet on September 5, 2025, alleging conspiracy by Sonam and Raj Kushwaha, with the murder occurring in her presence. Sonam pleaded not guilty. East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said, "We respect the Honourable Court’s order. The investigation and trial will proceed as per law."
Bail conditions include not leaving the court's jurisdiction without permission, not tampering with evidence, attending all hearings, and furnishing a personal bond and surety.
