A court in Meghalaya has framed murder charges against Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the killing of her husband — Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi — setting the stage for the case to go to trial.
Shillong Additional District Judge D R Kharbteng framed charges of murder against Sonam, her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, and two others on October 28. The trial will begin on November 11, with the prosecution examining key witnesses first.
Rana, the lawyer representing the accused, told The Indian Express: “The court has framed charges of murder against my clients. We will now make our case before the court.”
Police have alleged that Sonam and Raj plotted Raja’s murder during their honeymoon in Sohra, Meghalaya. The five accused, including Sonam and Raj, were arrested from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on June 8 and 9, days after Raja’s body was found in a gorge below Wei Sawdong falls.
The couple had been reported missing on May 23. What began as a missing persons case soon turned into a murder probe after Raja’s body was found with two sharp cuts on his head. Investigators allege that Sonam and Raj hired three hitmen to kill him.
According to the police, Raja was first attacked with a machete — locally called dao — by one of the assailants, Vishal Singh Chauhan. Sonam, allegedly present during the assault, is said to have fled when her husband began to bleed and scream, returning only after he had died.
A second machete and a white shirt, believed to belong to another accused, Akash Rajput, were also recovered from the gorge.
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The accused have been charged under Sections 103(1), 238(a), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.