INDORE: India’s Supreme Court on Friday declined to stay the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the main accused in the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, saying she had already been released from jail. According to media reports, the court, however, issued notice on a petition filed by the Meghalaya government challenging the High Court’s bail order.
The Meghalaya government argued that the case involved a planned murder in which Sonam allegedly conspired with four others to kill her husband before his body was dumped in a gorge. It also said she was later arrested in Uttar Pradesh after allegedly fleeing.
According to media reports, the state told the Supreme Court that the High Court granted bail because of a clerical error in the arrest documents, where Section 403(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was mistakenly mentioned instead of Section 103(1), which relates to murder. It argued that the mistake was only a typographical error and that Sonam had been informed of the grounds for her arrest.
The Supreme Court questioned whether such a technical error alone could justify bail. It said that had Sonam not already been released, it would have stayed the bail. The court added that the Meghalaya government was free to pursue further legal remedies in accordance with the law.
