Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: The Supreme Court issued an ultimatum to Sonam Raghuvanshi on July 21. She is the prime suspect in the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi. Justices M.M. Sundresh and P.B. Varale gave her a choice: surrender to authorities or let the court decide the state’s appeal against her bail on its merits.
Meghalaya wants her back in jail. A trial court and the Meghalaya High Court previously granted her bail. The Supreme Court bench told her counsel, "You have two options. Either we will pass an order on merits or we will ask you to surrender, let the public witnesses be examined—meanwhile we will decide the matter on merits."
Sonam claims police failed to provide the grounds for her arrest. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state, dismissed this argument as a clerical error. He noted that Sonam turned herself in voluntarily. Mehta argued, "If the arrested accused is caught red-handed, there is no reason to provide grounds of arrest."
The couple were in Meghalaya for their honeymoon when the murder occurred. The court demanded an explanation regarding her behavior after the killing. Her lawyer requested time to speak with her. He will return to court on Thursday to provide an answer.
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