Latest news with #SonamRaghuvanshi
India Today
04-07-2025
- India Today
Know your laws: Forced marriage and the legal framework to correct social crime
In June, a 16-year-old girl fled her house in Bihar and reached Delhi, where she was granted police protection by the Supreme Court. She had been forcibly married off to a 33-year-old man who abused another case that grabbed national attention, Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of murdering her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, was allegedly forced to marry, despite her what does the law say about forced marriage? Firstly, marrying off a girl under 18 or a boy under 21 is completely illegal in India under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act. This law applies across all adults, the Supreme Court has upheld the right to choose one's partner as a fundamental right in multiple judgments. Any adult - a man or a woman - who is being forced to marry - can seek police protection to prevent such can also go to the state human rights body or women's rights commission for adult woman who has been kidnapped or criminally intimidated into agreeing to a marriage can file an FIR under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against those who kidnapped or forced her into marriage. This carries a punishment of up to 10 years in a minor, there are much stricter connected to the child - a friend, family, neighbour or a teacher - can file a police complaint against a minor being married off. The complaint can be made to the local police, or the Child Marriage Prevention Officer of the district, or the Juvenile justice Unit of the district police. The officials are obliged by law to then step in and stop the marriage from happening.A child marriage that has been solemnised carries both civil and criminal penalties under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act, BNS, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso) and the Juvenile Justice adult male spouse of a minor, the fathers of both the girl and the boy, as well as other people responsible for carrying out the wedding rituals face up to two years in jail and a the minor bride has been made to have sex, the husband faces up to 10 years of jail under the Pocso Act. The exemption given to "marital rape" under the rape law does not apply if the bride is under 18, which means that the husband also faces up to life imprisonment under the rape laws of husband's family members may also be liable for abetment of rape of the child. Juvenile Justice Act provisions for the safety of the child and offences by the parent/guardian will also apply in this civil consequences depend on the a child marriage cannot be legally registered in India unless the marriage happened before the Act of 2006 and both spouses agreed to remain married after turning the child marriage is not reported at the time of the wedding, a child who is married off, can approach the police, the Child Marriage Prevention Officer or a district court to file a petition to get the marriage is an option available to both the husband and the wife, that is, if both were under 18 at the time of the minor spouse need not wait until she turns 18 to approach the court. A family member, guardian or the Child Marriage Prevention officer can sign the petition with them. The court will grant a decree of nullity of the if the minor is forcibly taken away from their guardian, threatened or defrauded, the marriage itself is void, which means it never the rights and responsibilities towards maintenance will still husband's family is responsible for the payment of maintenance to the wife and any children born to the marriage. The court may also pass orders for the safe residence of the minor bride.A monthly maintenance amount must be paid to the wife till she born to such marriages are considered legitimate, even if the marriage itself is voided. They have the right to get child support as well as inherit the property of their father's family.- EndsTrending Reel IN THIS STORY#Supreme Court
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
‘Bada besharam hai samaajh': Javed Akhtar on public outrage over murders committed by Sonam Raghuvanshi, Muskan Rastogi
Jun 30, 2025 05:11 PM IST In the last few weeks, two cases of murder have caused immense public outrage in India. In both the cases of Muskan Rastogi and Sonam Raghuvanshi, the common factor was the murder of their husbands. In an open session with NDTV, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar gave his opinion on the outrage on these cases in particular, admitting that he has a 'mixed emotions' on this. Screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar has talked about the public outrage over cases linked to Sonam Raghuvanshi and Muskan Rastogi. (ANI Photo)(Sunil Khandare) During the interview, when Javed was asked to comment on these two cases and the commotion it has caused, he said in Hindi, 'I have mixed emotions on this matter. These two women got there husbands killed and the society is shaken. Then there are women who are burnt alive every other day. If not burnt alive, then the lives that they live with their husbands are worse than any death. They are beaten every day. Then the society is not outraged?' 'Do auroton ne murder kiye…' He went on to add, 'Bada besharam hai samaajh. Do auroton ne murder kiye toh chauk para aur itne barso se jo mard uspe zaarti kar rahe hain aur aaj bhi kat rahe hain uspe uski joo nahi rengti (What a shameless society! Two women were murdered, so they are shaken, but what about the years of injustice that men commit against women? No outrage on that)? If they did kill so soon after their marriage then find out whether they were forced into marriage or not. It is easy for a woman from a small town in India to say no to marriage? Can she say that?' On June 2, Raja Raghuvanshi's body was found in a deep gorge close to a waterfall in the Sohra area, also known as Cherrapunji, within the East Khasi Hills district. Sonam Raghuvanshi surrendered a few days later. According to police, Sonam conspired with her boyfriend Raj Kushwaha to hire three other men to kill her husband Raja during their honeymoon, nearly two weeks after their wedding. Meanwhile, Muskan Rastogi, along with her lover Sahil Shukla, had allegedly stabbed her husband Saurabh Rajput to death on March 4 before chopping his body up into multiple pieces and hiding them inside a cement-filled drum.
South China Morning Post
29-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
Newlywed wives accused of murdering husbands stun India: ‘men as victims'
What happens when women become the accused in a society accustomed to viewing them as victims? A recent spate of spousal killings involving newlywed brides in India has upended social assumptions and sparked debate over gender, justice – and the price of compulsion. Advertisement The latest case – a chilling murder on a honeymoon – has riveted the Indian public. Earlier this month, police in Madhya Pradesh accused 25-year-old Sonam Raghuvanshi of conspiring with her boyfriend to hire assassins and murder her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, 30, while the newlyweds were travelling in the northeastern state of Meghalaya. Their marriage, like most in India, had been arranged. It was late May when Raja's decomposed body was found following an extensive search. Investigators allege that Sonam orchestrated the killing. Her father has vehemently denied the claim, accusing authorities of 'making up stories' and demanding a federal inquiry. Sonam Raghuvanshia and Raja Raghuvanshi. Photo: Facebook As the investigation unfolds, the case has become emblematic of what some legal experts describe as a disturbing new trend: wives accused of plotting to kill their husbands, often in concert with lovers from before their marriage. 'The phenomenon of newlywed brides murdering husbands in conspiracy with boyfriends is not entirely unprecedented, but its increased frequency, boldness and brazenness make it a disturbing emerging pattern in recent times,' said Bhargav Baisoya, a lawyer at Jotwani Associates in New Delhi. The headlines have come in quick succession. In March, a 22-year-old named Pragati, barely two weeks into her arranged marriage in Uttar Pradesh, was accused of collaborating with her boyfriend, Anurag, to hire contract killers to murder her husband, Dilip. Saurabh Rajput's body was found stuffed inside a cement-filled drum. Photo: X That same month in Meerut, police discovered the remains of former merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, his body stuffed inside a cement-filled drum. Investigators allege his wife, Muskan, and her lover, Sahil Shukla, drugged him and then stabbed him to death.
South China Morning Post
29-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
Newlywed wives accused of murdering husbands stun India: ‘men as victims'
What happens when women become the accused in a society accustomed to viewing them as victims? A recent spate of spousal killings involving newlywed brides in India has upended social assumptions and sparked debate over gender, justice – and the price of compulsion. The latest case – a chilling murder on a honeymoon – has riveted the Indian public. Earlier this month, police in Madhya Pradesh accused 25-year-old Sonam Raghuvanshi of conspiring with her boyfriend to hire assassins and murder her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, 30, while the newlyweds were travelling in the northeastern state of Meghalaya. Their marriage, like most in India, had been arranged. It was late May when Raja's decomposed body was found following an extensive search. Investigators allege that Sonam orchestrated the killing. Her father has vehemently denied the claim, accusing authorities of 'making up stories' and demanding a federal inquiry. Sonam Raghuvanshia and Raja Raghuvanshi. Photo: Facebook As the investigation unfolds, the case has become emblematic of what some legal experts describe as a disturbing new trend: wives accused of plotting to kill their husbands, often in concert with lovers from before their marriage. 'The phenomenon of newlywed brides murdering husbands in conspiracy with boyfriends is not entirely unprecedented, but its increased frequency, boldness and brazenness make it a disturbing emerging pattern in recent times,' said Bhargav Baisoya, a lawyer at Jotwani Associates in New Delhi. The headlines have come in quick succession. In March, a 22-year-old named Pragati, barely two weeks into her arranged marriage in Uttar Pradesh, was accused of collaborating with her boyfriend, Anurag, to hire contract killers to murder her husband, Dilip. Saurabh Rajput's body was found stuffed inside a cement-filled drum. Photo: X That same month in Meerut, police discovered the remains of former merchant navy officer Saurabh Rajput, his body stuffed inside a cement-filled drum. Investigators allege his wife, Muskan, and her lover, Sahil Shukla, drugged him and then stabbed him to death.
Hindustan Times
25-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raj Kushwaha admit to their relationship
In a major breakthrough in the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case, main conspirators - Sonam Raghuvanshi and her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha - have admitted to their relationship and their role in killing Raja Raghuvanshi, said Meghalaya Police on Tuesday. Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raj Kushwaha's affair is in the middle of the case as the main motive behind the murder, however, other angles are being probed. According to Superintendent of Police (East Khasi Hills) Vivek Syiem, both Sonam and Raj have admitted to the crime and have recreated the crime scene for the police. Sonam' family, unhappy with her relationship with Raj Kushwaha, arranged her marriage to Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore-based businessman, according to the police. Riled with this, Sonam had reportedly threatened her family of serious consequences if they made her marry Raja, which her family did, according to Vivek Syiem. Also read: Honeymoon murder: Police arrest owner of Indore flat where Sonam stayed after fleeing Meghalaya Sonam and Raj's affair is still in the middle of the case as the main motive behind the murder, however, other motives such as financial gains are being probed though they have not been established firmly yet. 'They wanted somebody out – I mean Raja – out of this whole scene, because they had a relationship and because of the customs where they had to agree between the parents and all that. So they thought... better get rid of this person (Raja),' Syiem said. Also read: Police reject narco test demand in Meghalaya honeymoon murder probe Request for narco test rejected Raja Raghuvanshi's family had requested a narco-analysis test on Sonam Raghuvanshi. However, their request has been rejected since ample evidence is in place against Sonam and her boyfriend Raj Kushwaha and their role in Raja's murder. 'They have already admitted to the crime. We have done the reconstruction. They have shown us. We have got the evidence... I don't see the reason why we should perform [a narco test] at this stage,' said Vivek Syiem. Also read: Sonam Raghuvanshi got 'help' hiding jewellery, laptop and weapon: Indore property dealer, watchman held He also explained that a narco test is usually done whether there is lack of evidence or no evidence at all. Banned by the Supreme Court, the results of a narco-test are also not admissible in court. Sonam Raghuvanshi and Raj Kushwaha, the two main accused, along with three hitmen allegedly hired to carry out the killing - Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi - will reportedly be produced before the court on Thursday. With inputs from David Laitphlang
