Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder Case: Sonam Claims No Proof Against Her, Seeks Bail Relief

Sonam Raghuvanshi, 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 her affidavit filed before the court, Sonam opposed the Meghalaya government's plea seeking to cancel the bail granted to her by the Meghalaya High Court. She claimed that the case against her was built on suspicion and circumstantial evidence, arguing that allegations alone cannot be treated as proof of guilt.

Sonam said there was no direct evidence against her and requested the Supreme Court to allow her to continue on bail. She maintained that she has been wrongly accused and that the prosecution's claims would have to be proved during the trial.

The Meghalaya government had approached the Supreme Court against the High Court's June 29 order, which upheld the trial court's decision to grant bail.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court allowed Sonam to remain out on bail. The bench noted that she had already been released after the High Court order and said it was not inclined to send her back to custody at this stage. However, the judges questioned certain aspects of the High Court's reasoning while granting bail.

The court also pointed out that an accused person is considered innocent until proven guilty and that the allegations against Sonam will be examined during the trial.

Appearing for Sonam, her lawyer argued that she was not informed about the reasons for her arrest and was denied proper legal assistance. The Supreme Court questioned why these issues were not raised before the lower courts during earlier bail proceedings.

Meghalaya government's argument

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Meghalaya government, described the case as a "shocking" and pre-planned murder. He argued that the High Court granted bail because of an error in the arrest documents.

The state told the court that the arrest memo mentioned Section 403 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) instead of Section 103, which deals with murder. Mehta said the mistake was only a clerical error and did not affect the validity of the arrest.

He also highlighted that Sonam's bail plea had been rejected three times earlier, with courts finding material against her at the initial stage of the proceedings.

The Supreme Court is now looking at the larger legal question of whether a mistake in an arrest memo can be considered serious enough to invalidate an arrest and become a reason for granting bail.

Raja Raghuvanshi, a businessman from Indore, was allegedly murdered during his honeymoon trip to Meghalaya in May 2025.

The couple went missing after checking out of a homestay in Nongriat. Raja's body was later recovered from a gorge near Weisawdong Falls in Sohra.

The Meghalaya Police have alleged that Sonam, along with Raj Kushwaha and other accused, was involved in a conspiracy to murder Raja. The matter is currently before the court, where the allegations and evidence will be examined during the trial.