New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday refused to send murder accused Sonam Raghuvanshi back to jail, even as it expressed serious doubts over the Meghalaya High Court’s decision to grant her bail in the high-profile Raja Raghuvanshi murder case.

A bench of Justices M. M. Sundresh and Sheel Nagu heard the Meghalaya government’s challenge to the June 29 bail order and reiterated the long-standing legal principle that “bail is the rule and jail is the exception.”

The court observed that Sonam had already been released after spending time in custody and said it would be inappropriate to send her back to prison at this stage, particularly since the trial has already begun. The bench clarified that it might have stayed the bail order had she not already been released.

The Supreme Court issued a notice to Sonam and scheduled the next hearing for July 9.

During the hearing, the bench stressed that while the allegations against Sonam are serious, criminal charges must ultimately be tested during trial, and every accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. When Solicitor General Tushar Mehta described the case as “shocking” and “chilling,” the judges responded that such issues would be examined during the trial.

At the same time, the Supreme Court indicated that it was not fully convinced by the reasoning adopted by the Meghalaya High Court while granting bail. Justice Sundresh noted that the apex court had prima facie reservations about the High Court’s approach.

The High Court had granted bail after finding significant errors in the arrest documents, which repeatedly referred to Section 403 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) instead of Section 103, the provision dealing with murder. It also pointed out references to unrelated offences, including crimes committed outside India and desertion from the armed forces, calling the paperwork an example of “total non-application of mind.”

However, the Supreme Court questioned whether such procedural lapses alone were sufficient grounds to grant bail in a murder case. It also observed that Sonam had been informed of the reasons for her arrest and had not raised these objections in her earlier bail pleas.

Opposing the bail, the Meghalaya government argued that the High Court overlooked substantial evidence collected during the investigation and granted relief based solely on technical defects in the arrest documents.

According to the prosecution, Raja Raghuvanshi’s murder was the result of a pre-planned conspiracy allegedly involving Sonam Raghuvanshi, her alleged associate Raj Kushwaha, and other accused. Investigators claim Sonam travelled to Meghalaya with her alleged accomplices, participated in the attack, and later helped dispose of Raja’s body by throwing it into a gorge.