Trial Begins for High-Profile Murder Case in Shillong

Commencement of the Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Trial

Shillong, Nov 11: The trial for the notorious Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, which occurred nearly five months ago, is set to commence at the Session Court with the prosecution witnesses being examined on Tuesday.

KC Gautam, the Special Public Prosecutor assigned to this case, stated that after the charges were formally presented against the accused individuals under various sections of the BNS, the prosecution witnesses will take the stand in court on Tuesday.

There are five primary suspects involved in this case.

Raghuvanshi's wife, along with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, and the other accused—Akash Singh Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi—are believed to have attacked Raja.

Gautam mentioned, "The charges have been communicated to the accused, who have all pleaded not guilty."

Previously, on September 6, the Meghalaya police submitted a comprehensive 790-page chargesheet against these individuals to the Judicial Magistrate First Class at Sohra, outlining various charges under the BNS.

The charges include section 103 (1) for murder, section 238 (a) for the destruction or concealment of evidence, and section 61 (2) for criminal conspiracy against the accused.

Additionally, the police are expected to file a supplementary chargesheet against other individuals allegedly connected to this case. This includes Silome James, a property dealer from Madhya Pradesh; Lokendra Singh Tomar, the landlord of the building in MP where Sonam reportedly sought refuge after the crime; and Balbir Ahirbar, the security guard of the apartment.

Raja was reportedly murdered near the Wei Sawdong falls in Sohra. He was last seen alive on May 23 during a honeymoon trip with his wife. Following their disappearance, Raja's decomposed body was discovered in a deep gorge on June 2 after extensive searches by Meghalaya police, NDRF-SDRF teams, and local residents.

Meanwhile, Sonam's location remained unknown until she mysteriously appeared on June 9 in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. The other suspects were later apprehended in Madhya Pradesh through a coordinated effort between the police forces of Meghalaya and MP.