Shillong Court Rejects Bail Pleas of Raj Kushwaha, Three Others in Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case

A local court in Shillong has rejected the bail pleas of Raj Kushwaha and three other accused — Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi — in the sensational Raja Raghuvanshi murder case that has drawn nationwide attention. The counsel for the accused had sought bail on parity after co-accused Sonam Raghuvanshi secured bail and was released from jail, becoming the first among the five accused to obtain relief in the case.
The development comes even as the Meghalaya Government has moved the Meghalaya High Court challenging the bail granted to prime accused Sonam Raghuvanshi by a lower court in Shillong in connection with the murder of her husband, Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was allegedly killed at Sohra during the couple’s visit to Meghalaya.
The lower court had granted bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi after observing that the police had failed to properly communicate the grounds of her arrest, a procedural lapse that formed the primary basis for the bail order. However, while granting relief to Sonam on procedural grounds, the same court declined to grant similar relief to the remaining four accused.
The latest development comes months after investigators submitted a voluminous 790-page chargesheet before the court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Sohra Sub-Division Court, naming five accused in connection with the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, who was killed during his honeymoon trip to Sohra in May this year.
Those chargesheeted include Sonam Raghuvanshi, her alleged partner Raj Kushwaha, and the three alleged contract killers — Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi — all accused of being part of the conspiracy to eliminate Raja Raghuvanshi.
The case dates back to May 21, 2025, when Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam arrived in Shillong before travelling to Sohra. The couple was reported missing on May 26, triggering an extensive search operation across the region.
Days later, on June 2, Raja Raghuvanshi’s body was recovered from a deep gorge at Arliang Riat Kunongrim, Umblai, near Wei Sawdong Falls, a discovery that intensified the investigation and subsequently led to multiple arrests.