Shillong Court Grants Bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi in Murder Case

A court in Shillong, Meghalaya, granted bail on April 27 to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the primary accused in the alleged murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in the state's East Khasi Hills district last year.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Dashalene R. Kharbteng approved the release on a personal bond of 50,000 rupees with two sureties of the same amount. The decision hinged on police procedural lapses during Sonam's arrest, including failure to properly inform her of the grounds. Court documents showed that the intimation form cited Section 403 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for dishonest misappropriation of property rather than Section 103 for murder. The judge rejected the prosecution's claim of clerical error, stating that such mistakes appeared across multiple documents and caused prejudice to the accused. Sonam, who had been in judicial custody for over 10 months at Shillong District Jail, must remain within the court's jurisdiction, attend all hearings, refrain from tampering with evidence or witnesses, and obtain permission to leave the district.

Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore-based transport businessman, married Sonam on May 11, 2025, and the...