Prominent Supreme Court lawyer Adv Aashutosh Srivastava was appointed as counsel for accused Siya Goyal on Thursday in the Ketan Agarwal death case.
Speaking about the case, Adv Srivastava said, "The matter is still under investigation, and my client is cooperating and will continue to cooperate with the investigating agency."
"Every accused has the right to present his or her case before a court of law under the Indian Constitution," he added.
Adv Srivastava further said that he could not reveal any additional details as the matter is still sub judice.
What is the case?
26-year-old realtor Ketan Agarwal was allegedly pushed into a gorge off the Lohagad Fort on June 18 by his fiancée Siya Goyal (20) and her lover Chetan Chaudhary (22).
Agarwal and Goyal were scheduled to get married in November at a palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Meanwhile, Goyal and Chaudhary have turned against each other and are blaming one another for plotting the murder, the police said.
According to the police, Chaudhary told them that he wanted to elope with Goyal, but she insisted on murdering Agarwal. On the other hand, Goyal claimed that killing Agarwal was Chaudhary’s idea. Police believe that blaming each other may be part of their defence strategy.
SIT to probe matter?
Maharashtra Assembly’s presiding officer Raju Khare has directed the government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder.
NCP MLA Sunil Shelke raised the issue in the state Assembly, demanding that Goyal’s family be made the accused in the murder case. He claimed that Goyal’s family had hidden information about her relationship with the Agarwal family and said the murder trial should be conducted in a fast-track court.
Shelke urged the state government to ensure justice for the victim’s family. He also lauded the efforts of Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill and the investigating team, saying they had carried out a thorough probe, collected evidence, and recorded witness statements to uncover the truth behind the case.
“What was initially projected as an accident was found to be a murder following a detailed police investigation,” the MLA said. “If justice is to be delivered to Ketan Agarwal and his family, the state government must take appropriate cognisance of the matter and ensure necessary action,” he added.
