M’laya Honeymoon murder case trial to start today

The trial in the murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was on a honeymoon vacation with his newly-married wife Sonam Raghuvanshi at picturesque Sohra in Meghalaya, will commence from Tuesday at the Session Court here with the examination of the prosecution witnesses.
Special Public Prosecutor for this case, K.C. Gautam said that after the charges have been framed against the accused persons under various sections of the BNS, the prosecution witness would be examined before the court on Tuesday.
On October 28, a lower court here in Meghalaya had framed charges against Sonam, her paramour Raj Kushwaha, besides Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi, who were hired from Madhya Pradesh to murder Raja. Raja was killed on May 26, 2025.
The court framed charges under Sections 103(1) for murder, 238 (a) for intentionally destroying or hiding evidence and 61(2) for criminal conspiracy of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The maximum punishment attracted in the case is death sentence. All the accused denied the allegations against them.
The Special Investigation Team, constituted by the Meghalaya Police to probe into the murder, had retrieved the body of Raghuvanshi from a deep gorge near Wei Sawdong Waterfall at Sohra on June 2, 2025.
On September 5, Meghalaya police have filed a 790-page charge sheet against five persons in the murder of Raja.
“It is conclusively established that Sonam Raghuvanshi was in a relationship with Raj Kushwaha and a criminal conspiracy was hatched by Raj Kushwaha along with Sonam and the three assailants to murder Raja Raghuvanshi under the pretext of a honeymoon to Sohra,” Vivek Syiem, the district police chief of East Khasi Hills, had said.
He said a supplementary charge sheet will be filed against the other three other co-accused, property dealer Silome James, Lokendra Tomar, the owner of the building where Sonam was hiding after the murder of Raja, and security guard Balbir Ahirbar.
James, Tomar and Ahirbar, were arrested from three places in Madhya Pradesh on charges of destruction and concealment of evidence in connection with the murder of Raja, are currently on bail.
The murder of Raja came to light after villagers found an abandoned two-wheeler with keys on it at Sohrarim village between Shillong and Sohra Road on May 24. The two-wheeler was hired by Raja and Sonam from Meghalaya’s capital Shillong for four days.