Honeymoon Murder Bail: Clerical Error Frees Wife

Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused in the 2025 honeymoon murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya, has been granted bail. This decision follows three prior rejections by the courts. The breakthrough in her bail plea appears linked to a significant clerical error found in her arrest documents.

The First Information Report (FIR) for the 2025 murder case was initially registered under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). However, the court observed that Sonam was informed of arrest grounds under Section 403(1) of the BNS, a section that does not exist and previously dealt with property misappropriation under the old Indian Penal Code.

Further discrepancies noted by the East Khasi Hills district court included the fact that in all arrest-related documents, the section cited was 403(1), not 103(1) BNS, the actual murder charge. The court emphasized that grounds of arrest must exist before being communicated, and none of the relevant checkboxes indicating the accusations were ticked.

The court also considered that there was no record of Sonam having legal representation when first presented in court, which prevented the objection from being raised earlier and countering the argument that she waived her rights. Bail was granted with four strict conditions: not to abscond or tamper with evidence, to attend court dates, not to leave jurisdiction without permission, and to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties.

Raja Raghuvanshi, a businessman from Indore, married Sonam in May 2025 and they honeymooned in Meghalaya. Raja was found dead on June 2, 2025, after the couple went missing. Sonam, along with her alleged lover and three hired men, is accused of planning and executing Raja's murder near Wei Sawdong Falls to appear as an accident. The other accused, including the alleged lover Raj Kushwaha and three hired killers, remain in judicial custody.