Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case: Court Rejects Prime Accused Raj Kushwaha’s Bail Plea For Hiding Facts

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Shillong Sessions Court has dismissed the bail petition of Raj Kushwaha, one of the masterminds in the high-profile Raja Raghuvanshi murder case. The dismissal was based on the non-disclosure of previous bail applications, citing mandatory directives from the Supreme Court.

Immediately after the prime suspect, Sonam Raghuvanshi, was granted bail by the Shillong Sessions Court on Monday, the co-suspect, Raj Kushwaha, also approached the court. On Tuesday, Kushwaha’s lawyer, P Yobin, filed a bail application in the Sessions Court. Following a lengthy hearing, the court reserved its order on Wednesday. According to the order issued on Friday, the court rejected Kushwaha’s plea due to his failure to disclose previous bail applications as mandated by the Apex Court.

The court noted, “In view of the petitioner having failed to disclose previous bail applications and the directions of the Hon'ble Apex Court mandating such disclosure, without going into the merits of the application, the bail application is rejected on the ground of non-disclosure of previous bail applications. Application disposed of.”

This ruling aligns with the April 2025 Supreme Court directive issued during the hearing of Munnesh v. State of Uttar Pradesh. The Supreme Court mandated that petitioners seeking regular or anticipatory bail must disclose their entire criminal history. Furthermore, the synopsis of such petitions must specify whether the petitioner has clean antecedents. Any involvement in criminal cases must be detailed, including the specific stage of the proceedings. The apex court warned that if a disclosure is later found to be false or incomplete, the petition will be summarily dismissed.

Earlier, Sonam was granted bail, citing serious procedural lapses in her arrest, specifically the failure to clearly communicate the grounds of arrest as mandated under Article 22(1) of the Constitution