‘I am innocent’: Sonam Raghuvanshi tells Supreme Court, seeks to retain bail in Raja murder case

Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the alleged murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, has told the Supreme Court that she is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the case.

In an affidavit filed before the apex court, Sonam opposed the Meghalaya government’s plea seeking cancellation of the bail granted to her by the Meghalaya High Court, arguing that the prosecution’s case rests solely on suspicion and circumstantial evidence.

“I am innocent and have been falsely implicated,” Sonam said, contending that the allegations against her are based on assumptions rather than credible evidence. She urged the Supreme Court not to interfere with the High Court’s June 29 order granting her bail.

Supreme Court declines to cancel bail

Hearing the matter, the Supreme Court refused to send Sonam back to jail, noting that she had already been released following the High Court’s order.

While the bench expressed reservations about the reasoning adopted by the High Court in granting bail, it said it was not inclined to interfere at this stage. The court reiterated that every accused enjoys the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and observed that the allegations against Sonam would be tested during the course of the trial.

The bench also remarked that if bail had been granted only because of a procedural defect in the arrest, there was nothing preventing investigators from making a fresh arrest after complying with legal requirements.

During the hearing, Sonam’s counsel argued that she had not been properly informed of the grounds for her arrest and was denied meaningful legal assistance at the time. The Supreme Court questioned why these objections had not been raised before the lower courts during earlier bail proceedings.

Meghalaya cites clerical error in arrest memo

Appearing for the Meghalaya government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the case involved a “shocking” and premeditated murder, and that the High Court had granted bail because of a typographical error in the arrest memo.

According to the state, the arrest document mistakenly mentioned Section 403 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) instead of Section 103, which pertains to murder. Mehta said the error was purely clerical and caused no prejudice to the accused.

He also pointed out that Sonam’s bail had been rejected on three earlier occasions after courts found prima facie evidence against her.

The Supreme Court indicated it may refer to a larger bench the legal question of whether a typographical error in an arrest memo is sufficient to invalidate an arrest and justify bail.

Raja Raghuvanshi murder case

Raja Raghuvanshi, a businessman from Indore, was allegedly murdered during his honeymoon in Meghalaya in May 2025. The couple went missing after checking out of a homestay in Nongriat, and Raja’s body was later recovered from a gorge near Weisawdong Falls in Sohra.

The Meghalaya Police allege that Sonam conspired with her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, and other accused to kill Raja as part of a pre-planned conspiracy. Investigators have filed a chargesheet running over 700 pages, and the trial is currently underway with witness examination in progress.