Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: Sonam Raghuvanshi tells SC she is innocent

In a fresh development in the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case, the prime accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi, who allegedly orchestrated the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, has submitted before the Supreme Court that she was innocent, alleging that she was falsely implicated in the case.

'I am innocent'

Sonam, in her affidavit, opposed the Meghalaya government's plea seeking cancellation of the bail granted to her by the Meghalaya High Court, stating that the prosecution's case is based solely on suspicion and circumstantial evidence, adding that allegations alone cannot be treated as proof of guilt. She urged the apex court not to interfere with the Meghalaya High Court's bail order.

Also Read: Meghalaya moves SC against bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi in 'honeymoon murder' case

"I am innocent and have been falsely implicated," stated Sonam in her reply as quoted by the Hindustan Times. The report further stated that the prosecution’s case is only based on assumptions instead of concrete evidence, adding that she has been falsely accused in the case.

The affidavit comes after the Meghalaya government approached the Supreme Court against the Meghalaya High Court’s June 29 order, which upheld the trial court’s decision of granting bail to Sonam.

SC declines intervention

However, the apex court refused to send Sonam back to jail, pointing out that she has already been released by the Meghalaya High Court. Despite expressing reservations about the rationale adopted by the High Court in granting bail to Sonam, the bench said that it was not keen on interfering at this stage.

Also Read: MP High Court stops effigy burning of Sonam Raghuvanshi during Dussehra

Elaborating further, the bench noted that there is a presumption of innocence until guilt is established, adding that the authenticity of the allegations against Sonam would ultimately be tested during trial.

The apex court further observed that if bail had been granted solely due to a procedural defect in the arrest, there was nothing in law preventing the authorities from arresting the accused again after complying with the legal requirements.

State's argument

During the hearing, Sonam's counsel submitted that she had not been informed of the grounds of her arrest and was denied effective legal assistance. However, the Supreme Court questioned why these objections had not been raised before the lower courts earlier.

Also Read: Honeymoon murder: Victim's kin demand narco test on Sonam's parents, brother

Appearing for the Meghalaya government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta described the case as a "shocking" and premeditated murder, stating that the High Court granted bail because of a typographical error in the arrest memo.

According to the state, the memo mistakenly mentioned Section 403 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita instead of Section 103 relating to murder.

Mehta submitted that the error was clerical, caused no prejudice to the accused and added that Sonam's bail had been rejected thrice earlier, with courts finding prima facie material against her.