Supreme Court keeps bail in place for murder accused Sonam Raghuvanshi

Shillong: The Supreme Court rejected the Meghalaya government’s plea to cancel the bail of Sonam Raghuvanshi on Friday. She stands accused of plotting the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their 2025 honeymoon in Sohra. Justices M.M. Sundresh and Sheel Nagu declined to intervene because she is already out of jail.

State authorities argued the bail decision was a mistake. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta insisted the High Court gave too much weight to minor technicalities. He argued that the allegations against Raghuvanshi were of a serious nature and contended that she should not have been granted bail on technical grounds. The prosecution claims she hired contract killers to dump her husband’s body into a gorge.

The Meghalaya High Court originally granted the release after finding errors in the police arrest records. Judges noted that the arrest memo cited incorrect penal provisions. The state maintains that this was a simple clerical error and not a reason to free a murder suspect. The Supreme Court issued a notice to Raghuvanshi and requested her response to the state appeal. She remains free in Shillong for now.