Supreme Court Refuses to Cancel Sonam Raghuvanshi’s Bail, Seeks Meghalaya’s Reply

July 3, 2026

New Delhi: In a significant development, Sonam Raghuvanshi on Friday got big relief as Supreme Court refused to cancel bail and sought Meghalaya government’s response. Next hearing in this matter is scheduled for next Thursday. The Supreme Court noted that Sonam Raghuvanshi has been released from jail and is in Shillong pursuant to bail terms set by trial court.

Here’s what SC said on Sonam Raghuvanshi case

A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Sheel Nagu stated verbally that, prima facie, it was inclined to stay the bail, considering that this is not a case where the grounds of arrest were not provided to Sonam. But the Court said that now that she is already out on bail, it was not inclined to reverse the order, considering that it is a matter to be decided in the trial. Let her file a counter affidavit.

The Court also took into account the fact that she has spent some time in incarceration. No matter how heinous the crime is, the Court said it had to take into account that “bail is the rule and jail is exception”.

“We do have reservations about how the High Court has been dealing with the case,” the Court added. The Court also asked Sonam’s lawyer to file a counter affidavit to the Meghalaya government’s plea opposing her bail.

Meghalaya govt moves SC challenging High Court order 

On Thursday, the Meghalaya government had moved the Supreme Court challenging a Meghalaya High Court order upholding the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi.

Earlier, the Meghalaya High Court upheld a trial court order granting bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband during their honeymoon in the northeastern state in 2025. A single-judge bench of Justice W Diengdoh dismissed the criminal petition filed by the state government, seeking cancellation of the bail granted by the trial court on April 27.

Justice Diengdoh held that the manner in which the grounds of arrest were prepared reflected a “total non-application of judicious mind”. “It is evident that such preparation was made without any application of mind…and nowhere is found any specific allegation or information as to what the actual charges against her are,” the high court observed.

“If this is the manner in which the intimation of the grounds of arrest is made, the same reflects a total non-application of judicious mind on the part of the arresting agency,” it said. The court dismissed the state’s petition, holding that there were no grounds to exercise its inherent powers to cancel the bail.

Sonam was arrested in June last year

Sonam, a resident of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, was arrested in June last year in connection with the murder of her businessman husband Raja Raghuvanshi. The couple had gone missing while vacationing in Meghalaya’s Sohra area on May 23. Subsequently, Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was found in a deep gorge on June 2. Police have alleged that Sonam conspired with hired assailants to kill her husband for financial gains.