Shillong: The Supreme Court has set aside the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi honeymoon murder case, directing her to surrender and face trial in Meghalaya.
The order comes after the Meghalaya government challenged the Meghalaya High Court’s decision to grant her bail, describing it as based on a technical error.
A Bench of the apex court observed that while it had earlier refrained from interfering with the bail order because Sonam had already been released from custody, it found merit in the state’s appeal after examining the matter in detail.
The latest ruling effectively overturns the High Court’s order, requiring Sonam to return to judicial custody.
The Meghalaya High Court had granted Sonam bail on June 29 after noting that the trial court had failed to frame charges within the statutory time limit.
The state government subsequently moved the Supreme Court, arguing that the delay was procedural and should not override the gravity of the allegations in the murder case.
Earlier this month, the apex court had expressed reservations over the High Court’s reasoning but had declined to stay the bail immediately as Sonam had already been released.
The case pertains to the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who had travelled to Meghalaya with his wife, Sonam, for their honeymoon in May 2025. The couple went missing after visiting Sohra, and Raja’s body was later recovered from a deep gorge near Wei Sawdong.
Following an extensive investigation by the Meghalaya Police Special Investigation Team (SIT), Sonam was arrested along with four others.
Police alleged that she conspired with her alleged lover, Raj Kushwaha, to murder her husband. A 790-page chargesheet was subsequently filed against the accused.
With the Supreme Court’s latest order, Sonam Raghuvanshi will now have to surrender and remain in judicial custody while the trial proceeds.
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