Meghalaya Challenges Sonam Raghuwanshi Bail, Court Seeks Original Arrest Memo

During a Thursday hearing, the Meghalaya government formally contested the bail granted to Sonam Raghuwanshi, the chief suspect in the killing of Raja Raghuwanshi. The Supreme Court bench, consisting of Justices Manoj Mishra and Shri Chandrasekhar, ruled that no interim order would stay the bail but demanded that the state present the original arrest memo and any related documentation.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta highlighted a clerical error in the arrest paperwork: the document referenced Section 403(1) of the IPC rather than the murder‑specific Section 103(1). He claimed this was a procedural oversight that should not affect the bail decision, maintaining that the arrest’s factual basis had been communicated to the accused.

The judges, however, stressed that the case’s core issue is whether the accused was fully informed about the charges and the factual matrix of the case, not merely the accuracy of a code reference. The court set July 14 as the next date to evaluate whether the arrest justification holds up under scrutiny.

The incident dates back to May 2025 when Raja Raghuwanshi, a prominent businessman, was murdered during a honeymoon visit to Meghalaya with his wife Sonam. Prosecutors allege that Sonam colluded with a lover to orchestrate the killing. Sonam Raghuwanshi, in her defence statement, insists on her innocence, alleging that the case against her is fabricated and that the charge sheet lacks concrete evidence.