How Did Sonam Raghuvanshi Secure Bail? A Police 'Typo Error' Turned the Tables.

A court has granted bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi in the case involving the murder of her husband during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. According to reports, Sonam was granted bail—possibly due to a typing error. Notably, her bail applications had previously been rejected on three separate occasions.

The issue stems from the First Information Report (FIR) filed following the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, which cited Section 403(1) of the BNS. However, the BNS—which replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on July 1, 2024—contains no such provision as Section 403(1).

Conversely, under the IPC, Section 403(1) pertained to the dishonest misappropriation of property. Addressing this error, the court observed: “A cursory perusal of the ‘Grounds of Arrest’ reveals that the petitioner was not informed of the specific offense under Section 103(1) of the BNS. Although it was argued that this might be a mere typing error, such a mistake cannot be excused across all relevant documents.”

Court: Accused Must Be Informed of Specific Offense Prior to Arrest

Furthermore, the East Khasi Hills District Court noted that across all documents pertaining to Sonam Raghuvanshi—including the checklist justifying the arrest, the arrest memo, the inspection memo, the notice regarding the arrested person’s rights, and the summary of the case diary—the petitioner was never informed that she was being arrested for an offense under Section 103(1) of the BNS. The Court further observed that “the grounds for arrest must exist prior to the communication of the information regarding the arrest.” Furthermore, the Court noted that none of the checkboxes within the pre-formatted arrest memo had been ticked to indicate the specific charges leveled against Sonam.

Additionally, the Court observed that there was nothing on record to substantiate the claim that a lawyer representing Sonam was present when she was first produced before the Court in Ghazipur; had counsel been present, this objection could have been raised at that earlier stage. This fact served as an additional ground for dismissing the argument that Sonam had waived her rights by raising this issue belatedly.

Sonam Granted Bail Subject to Four Conditions

Shillong’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (Judicial), Dashalin R. Kharbuli, has granted bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi in the infamous ‘Honeymoon Murder Case,’ subject to four conditions. First, she shall neither abscond nor tamper with any evidence or witnesses.

Second, she shall appear before the Court on every date fixed for the hearing. Third, she shall not leave the jurisdiction of this Court without obtaining prior permission from the Court. Finally, she shall furnish a personal bond of ₹50,000, along with two sureties of an equivalent amount, to the satisfaction of the Court.

What is the Full Case?

Essentially, Raja Raghuvanshi—a businessman from Indore—married Sonam on May 11, 2025. On May 20, the newlywed couple departed for Meghalaya to celebrate their honeymoon. Shortly thereafter, reports emerged regarding the couple’s disappearance, prompting the Sohra Police, the Special Operations Team, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), tracking groups, and local residents to launch a massive search operation.

Raja’s Body Recovered on June 2 The Body

Sonam, in collusion with her lover Raj Kushwaha (who previously worked in her family’s business), hatched a conspiracy to murder Raja in an attempt to portray the killing as an accident. Three contract killers attacked Raja with sharp-edged weapons near the ‘Wei Sawdong Falls,’ in Sonam’s presence. Subsequently, they threw Raja’s body into a deep gorge and switched off his mobile phone.

A few days after the murder—on June 9—Sonam was located at a roadside eatery (dhaba) in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, where she was taken into custody. Kushwaha and the three other contract killers—Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi—were also arrested. Currently, they remain in judicial custody.