A court in Meghalaya on Tuesday granted bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, an Indore resident, is accused of orchestrating the murder of her husband during their honeymoon in the state in 2025, reported the PTI.
Police said that legal procedures are ongoing and the investigation will continue.
Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem told the PTI, “The accused has been granted bail by the court. However, necessary legal procedures are being followed and the police will continue to pursue the matter as per law.”
Officials said that despite the bail, the case remains active. Further evidence collection and legal proceedings will determine the course of the trial.
Honeymoon murder
According to officials, Sonam’s husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, went missing on May 23 while the couple were on honeymoon in Meghalaya. His mutilated body was discovered on June 2 near a waterfall in Sohra, located in the East Khasi Hills district.
Following the discovery, police arrested Sonam along with several other individuals, including her alleged boyfriend, in connection with the case.
Sonam Raghuvanshi was later held near a dhaba on the Varanasi-Ghazipur main road. The police officials after finding her sent her to a hospital for medical treatment. She was later taken to Meghalaya for further investigations.
The autopsy report of Raja Raghuvanshi indicated that he was hit twice with a sharp object on his head.
790-page chargesheet filed
In September last year, the Meghalaya Police had submitted a 790-page chargesheet, naming eight people, including his wife Sonam and her alleged boyfriend, as the accused.
The chargesheet in the murder case of Raja Raghuvanshi, named his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, as the main accused in the alleged plot to kill him during their honeymoon in Sohra.
The chargesheet, filed before a court in the Sohra subdivision, accuses Sonam and four others — including her alleged partner Raj Kushwaha — of murder and criminal conspiracy.
Conspiracy
Sonam Raghuvanshi is alleged to have conspired with Raj Kushwaha, and hired three men — Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Singh Rajput and Anand Kurmi — to murder her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, in May 2025.
Investigators had earlier stated that Sonam and Kushwaha allegedly planned the killing and later disposed of Raghuvanshi’s body by pushing it into a gorge near the Wei Sawdong Falls in Meghalaya.
(with PTI inputs)