GUWAHATI: The Meghalaya High Court has upheld a Shillong court’s April 2026 order granting bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the alleged murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya in May 2025.
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A single bench of Justice W. Diengdoh dismissed the State government’s appeal challenging the bail order after reserving judgment on June 10 following more than 10 days of arguments. The detailed order is awaited.
The Shillong court had granted bail to Sonam after finding procedural lapses in her arrest. It observed that the investigating agency failed to properly communicate the grounds of arrest and noted that several arrest-related documents incorrectly cited Section 403(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita instead of Section 103(1), which deals with the offence of murder.
According to the court, the repeated reference to the incorrect section could not be treated as a mere clerical error, as none of the documents clearly informed the accused that she was being arrested on murder charges. The court further held that the specific facts constituting the alleged offence had not been conveyed at the time of arrest.
Opposing the bail order, the Meghalaya government argued before the High Court that the error was typographical and did not prejudice the accused. Advocate General Amit Kumar submitted that Sonam was fully aware of the murder charge, citing remand orders, the charge sheet and subsequent court proceedings. The State also relied on a Supreme Court ruling that procedural irregularities without actual prejudice are curable defects and should not automatically result in bail.
During the hearing, Justice Diengdoh questioned why the same error appeared repeatedly across multiple official documents and observed that portions of the arrest records appeared to have been copied from standard templates, including an unrelated reference identifying the accused as a deserter from the armed forces.
The State also argued that Sonam posed a high flight risk. However, the High Court observed that the bail conditions already imposed were adequate and that appropriate legal action could be taken in case of any violation.
The case relates to the alleged murder of Raja Raghuvanshi during a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya in May 2025. Raja and Sonam went missing after checking out of a homestay in Nongriat, and their rented scooter was later recovered near Sohrarim. Raja’s body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls in East Khasi Hills on June 2, while Sonam was traced on June 8 near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
Meghalaya Police later named Sonam and her alleged associate Raj Kushwaha as the prime accused in the case. Police have since filed a chargesheet running over 700 pages, alleging that the murder was premeditated. The trial is currently underway.