The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Sonam Raghuvanshi, an accused in the alleged murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon trip to Meghalaya in May 2025, to decide whether she would voluntarily surrender and return to judicial custody or continue defending the bail granted to her by the Meghalaya High Court.The apex court gave her two days to take instructions and communicate her decision.

Sonam, who is facing charges of conspiracy and murder along with other accused persons, was granted bail by the Meghalaya High Court on June 29 after the court found procedural lapses in her arrest.

The High Court observed that the arrest memo incorrectly cited Section 403 instead of Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to punishment for murder, and criticised the investigating agency for failing to properly communicate the grounds of arrest.

Challenging the bail order, the Meghalaya government argued before the Supreme Court that the incorrect section mentioned in the arrest memo was merely a typographical error and should not have resulted in bail for an accused facing serious criminal charges.A bench comprising Justices M.M.Sundresh and P.B.Varale indicated that it wished to balance the interests of both sides.

The judges suggested that if Sonam chose to surrender, the trial court could be directed to expedite the trial and her request for bail could be reconsidered after important witnesses had been examined.

Her counsel sought time until Thursday, pointing out that there was no allegation that she had violated any of the bail conditions imposed by the High Court, including the requirement to remain in Shillong and cooperate with the ongoing trial.