Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home Prestone Tynsong on Thursday strongly defended the State police, asserting that there had been “no such lapse from the police side” while arresting the accused in the sensational Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, even as the government moved the Meghalaya High Court challenging the bail granted to prime accused Sonam Raghuvanshi by a lower court in Shillong.
The development comes following the order of a Shillong court granting bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused in the murder of her husband, Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, at Sohra. The court had observed that the police failed to properly communicate the grounds of her arrest, a procedural lapse that became central to the bail order. However, the same court rejected the bail pleas of the remaining four accused — Raj Kushwaha and the three alleged killers Vishal Singh Chauhan, Akash Rajput and Anand Kurmi — all accused of orchestrating the killing.
Speaking to reporters in Shillong, Tynsong said the State government had already challenged the lower court’s decision before the Meghalaya High Court and declined to comment further on the merits of the case while the matter remained sub judice.
“Right now, I should not comment on that because we have already appealed to the higher court, the Meghalaya High Court. So, let the high court decide because we contested against the bail granted by the lower court to Sonam Raghuwanshi, let us wait and see what the high court says,” he said.
Defending the conduct of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Meghalaya Police, the Deputy Chief Minister maintained that all legal procedures and regulations were followed during the arrest process.
“No, in fact from our side we have tried our best, you know well even the police officers, be it the special investigation team (SIT) or be it anybody, we are well equipped as far as handling such cases is concerned, the procedure, you know the procedures, rules and regulations have to be followed. So therefore, there is no such lapse from the police side, let us see. As I said, in the court it happens that one court may grant bail, the other court may stay the bail, so the court will decide,” he added.
