The Supreme Court on Thursday cancelled a Meghalaya court order granting bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, who allegedly murdered her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya in 2025.

Allowing the Meghalaya government's petition challenging the Meghalaya High Court's order upholding the bail granted to Sonam by the trial court, a Bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice PB Varale directed her to surrender within three weeks.

However, the Bench said she can seek bail if the trial was not concluded in six months.

While noting that ‘bail is the rule and jail is the exception’, the Bench noted that since the trial has already begun in the case, her continued enlargement on bail at this stage might hinder the ongoing proceedings.

Sonam – a resident of Indore in Madhya Pradesh -- is accused of conspiring to kill her husband, Raja, while they were on honeymoon in East Khasi Hills in May 2025. Police alleged that Raja was killed with the help of her paramour Raj Kushwaha and three others. Sonam was arrested in June 2025 and released on bail in June 2026. She is facing trial in a court in Meghalaya.

She was granted bail over non-compliance with the mandate to serve grounds of arrest to the accused.

"It’s not as if the respondent was not served with the grounds of arrest. There’s a difference between non-service and giving adequate reasons thereunder. While the first category might vitiate the arrest, in the second one has to see the prejudice," the Bench said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state of Meghalaya, contended that Sonam was fully aware of the reasons for her arrest

On behalf of Sonam, advocate Ardhendumauli Prasad told the Bench that there were 94 witnesses and only four had been examined so far during the trial.

The order came on the Meghalaya government’s petition changing the state high court’s June 29 order upholding the bail granted to Sonam by a trial court.

Indicating that it contemplated cancelling the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, who allegedly murdered her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya in 2025, the Supreme Court on Tuesday suggested to her to surrender pending the examination of key witnesses during the trial.

"There are two options. Either we will consider and pass an order on merits or we will pass an order for you to surrender in the interregnum till witnesses are examined… Then we will see it on merits. We are putting it to you because we don't want to catch you by surprise… At the same time, you should also understand our mind. Take instructions and come back," the Bench had said.

“I think the second option is better for you. If you want to argue further, we will hear you and then decide one way or the other. If the second option is taken, we will issue directions to the trial court to examine the public witnesses and then we will take up the bail application,” it had said.

The Bench also questioned her conduct and the timing of the challenge to her arrest.

“Your conduct itself… How do you explain? The case of the prosecution is that you along with the deceased went to that place. That is the foundational fact... So, we will not go into the other issues. Number two, regarding the grounds of arrest, did you raise it at the earliest point of time?” the Bench had asked.

On July 3, the Supreme Court had refused to stay the Meghalaya High Court’s order granting bail to Sonam, even as it expressed reservation over the high court order.