- Supreme Court offers accused surrender or face merit-based bail decision.
- Court questioned bail validity, citing arrest document clerical errors.
- The case involves an alleged honeymoon murder in Meghalaya, 2025.
- Accused Sonam Raghuvanshi to inform decision by Thursday, July 23.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of murdering her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, two options, voluntarily surrender while key witnesses are examined or face a decision on the merits of the State government’s plea seeking cancellation of her bail. The matter came up before a Bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice PB Varale, which was hearing Meghalaya government’s appeal against the High Court order that upheld Sonam’s release on bail.
Supreme Court Asks Sonam To Choose Between Two Options
During the hearing, the Bench suggested that Sonam surrender temporarily while the trial court records the statements of important prosecution witnesses. The judges also indicated that her request for bail could be reconsidered on its merits once that stage of the trial is completed.
Explaining the two alternatives, the Bench observed, as per reports: “There are two options. Either we will consider and pass an order on merit. Or we will pass an order for you to surrender in the interregnum till the witnesses are examined, then we will see it on merit. We don’t want to surprise you. The second option may be better for you. Take instructions and come back.”
The court further said that if Sonam accepted the second option, it would direct the trial court to expedite the examination of prosecution witnesses before hearing her bail plea again.
The court directed Sonam to communicate her decision when the matter is taken up again on Thursday, July 23.
ALSO READ: CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka Reach Jantar Mantar, Resume Protest With Slogans Amid Security Buildup
Bench Questions Basis Of Bail Order
The Supreme Court also examined the reasoning behind the bail granted by the lower courts, questioning why the issue of non-communication of the grounds of arrest had not been raised at an earlier stage.
The judges also expressed reservations over whether a clerical error in the arrest documents alone could justify granting bail. They specifically questioned the relevance of citing Section 403(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) instead of Section 103(1), which pertains to the offence of murder.
The Meghalaya High Court had upheld Sonam’s bail after observing that investigators had failed to properly communicate the grounds for her arrest. It also noted that several arrest-related documents, including the arrest memo, inspection memo, justification checklist and extracts from the case diary, incorrectly referred to Section 403(1) instead of Section 103(1) of the BNS.
ALSO READ: From Bhagat Singh To Sonam Wangchuk: Hunger Strikes That Changed The Course Of India’s History
Case Stems From Honeymoon Murder In Meghalaya
The case relates to the alleged murder of Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon trip to Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills in May 2025.
According to investigators, Sonam Raghuvanshi allegedly conspired to kill her husband with the help of her alleged partner, Raj Kushwaha, and three other accused. She was arrested in June 2025.
On July 3, the Supreme Court had declined to stay the Meghalaya High Court’s order granting Sonam bail, while expressing reservations about the reasoning adopted by the High Court.
