SC Declines to Revoke Sonam Raghuvanshi's Bail; Meghalaya Asked to Respond

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to interfere with the bail granted to Meghalaya honeymoon murder accused Sonam Raghuvanshi by the High Court, even as it issued notice on the Meghalaya Police's plea seeking cancellation of her bail. Next hearing in this matter is scheduled for next Thursday. 

What did the Supreme Court say?

A bench comprising of Justices MM Sundresh and Sheel Nagu said that Sonam Raghuvanshi has been released from jail and is in Shillong pursuant to bail terms set by trial court.

“Prima facie, we would have stayed the order of bail, but since she has already been released, we would not want to intervene,” observed the bench.

“We do have reservations about how the High Court has been dealing with the case,” the Court added

Supreme Court refuses to stay the bail granted to key accused Sonam Raghuvanshi in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi. pic.twitter.com/qANF7eDugQ

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2026

What did the government say?

Appearing for the Meghalaya government, Solicitor general Tushar Mehta argued that the allegations against Raghuvanshi were grave and that she should not have been granted bail on what he described as technical grounds.

The court asked what the current status was. Tushar Mehta replied that the High Court had confirmed her bail, which prompted the court to ask how many people had testified. 

The court stated that it would monitor the pace of the trial before deciding whether to grant bail. The Supreme Court noted that only four out of 94 witnesses had been examined so far. The court acknowledged that Sonam's bail was granted due to a typo. 

What is the case?

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that this was a shocking case in which a woman took her husband on a honeymoon, participated in the attack, and then murdered him, pushed him off a cliff, and dumped his body in a ravine. He further stated that the woman had brought three attackers along and she herself committed the murder. After escaping, she was arrested in Uttar Pradesh. The magistrate stated that he was satisfied that the reason for the arrest had been explained.

During the arguments, Justice MM Sundesh stated, "We have prima facie objections to the High Court's order. We will stay this order and see how the trial proceeds. You have been questioned about the grounds for your arrest. You did not raise these issues in your previous bail petitions. This is not a case where the grounds for detention have not been stated. These facts remain." 

However, when Sonam's lawyer stated that she was currently on bail and in Shillong, the Supreme Court refused to cancel her bail.

Notice issued on the application of the Meghalaya government

Sonam Raghuvanshi's bail relief remains in place for now, as the Supreme Court refused to cancel her bail, stating, "We are not inclined to stay the bail." It also issued a notice on the Meghalaya government's application, stating that it would first review how the trial proceeds.