Shillong, Oct 30: The family of Sonam Raghuvanshi, one of the accused in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, has had no contact with her since her arrest.
The family have even not employed any lawyer of their own, with Sonam receiving free legal aid in her defence so far.
The 790-page charge sheet has been filed against Sonam, her lover Raj Khushwaha and three others – Vishal Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi in connection with the murder committed earlier this year.
Meghalaya police are preparing two file a supplementary charge sheet against three more individuals accused of destroying evidence.
According to East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem, the supplementary charge sheet will name Silome James, Lokendra Singh Tomar and Balbir Ahirwar, who allegedly played a role in tampering with or concealing key evidence in the case.
The main chargesheet, filed and copies received on October 28, names the five primary accused under sections related to murder, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy.
The bail plea, moved earlier on October 17, was rejected by the court, officials confirmed. Copies of the charg esheet have been sent to the legal aid defence counsel, who will represent the accused until their families appoint private lawyers.
So far, none of the families of the accused have engaged private counsel. The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) continues to provide them free legal assistance, as mandated for those unable to afford their own legal representation.
Govind Raghuvanshi, brother of prime accused Sonam, said their family has not yet shown any interest in hiring a private lawyer and are still waiting to receive copies of the charge sheet.
When asked if societal or media pressure was the reason behind not engaging private counsel, Govind denied the suggestion, stating, “Our family will decide in the next few days on the course of action.”
He further revealed that they have not met or spoken to Sonam since her arrest, saying, “We haven’t been in touch with her or had any communication since she was taken into custody.”
Confirming the developments, Syiem said the supplementary charge sheet will not be extensive. “It mainly pertains to the three individuals involved in the destruction of evidence. The main chargesheet has already been filed,” he said.
Sources added that after receiving the charge sheet copies, the charges have been explained to the five main accused.
