Trial in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case began on Tuesday with charges formally framed against the five accused, including his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi and her four accomplices.
Raja's brother Vipin Raghuvanshi was summoned to the Additional Deputy Commissioner Judicial Court in Shillong to adduce evidence in the case.
Apart from Sonam, those accused in the murder of the Indore-based businessman during the couple's honeymoon in Meghalaya in May were Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Singh Chauhan, Aakash Singh Rajput, and Anand Kurmi.
Charges against the five accused were framed on October 28, following which they pleaded not guilty and opted to stand trial. The court had earlier taken cognisance of the 790-page chargesheet filed in the case on September 5.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem confirmed that the police are preparing to file a second charge sheet in the case, expected by the third week of November, ahead of the original December deadline.
What Had Happened In May
Raja and his wife Sonam arrived in Shillong on May 21, before travelling to Sohra. The couple was reported missing on May 26, prompting a large scale search operation. On June 2, Raja's body was recovered from a deep gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls.
Police stated he had been hacked to death, with two sharp cuts found on his head.
The prosecution claimed that three assailants travelled from Madhya Pradesh to carry out the murder. As per the police account, Vishal Singh Chauhan attacked Raja with a machete, known locally as a ‘dao'. It is alleged that Sonam was present during the assault but fled as her husband began to bleed and scream, only returning after he had died.
Evidence, including a second machete and a white shirt believed to belong to accused Akash Rajput, was also recovered from the gorge where Raja's body was found.
Sonam was later found at a roadside eatery in Uttar Pradesh. All five accused were arrested on June 8 and 9.
The court has charged the accused under Sections 103(1) (murder), 238(a) (disappearance of evidence), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
