A Shillong court granted bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in her husband's murder during their honeymoon trip, after criticizing the prosecution for attempting to defend a key procedural lapse as a 'clerical error'.
The lapse involved the prosecution citing the wrong section of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which led to the 25-year-old woman being given bail despite the nature of the crime.
Her bail plea was rejected thrice in the past, and she was in custody for 10 months before walking out of jail.
The court ruled that the failure to clearly communicate the grounds of arrest deprived the accused of her right to defend herself, violating Article 22(1) of the Constitution.
The court approved the bail plea subject to several conditions, including that the accused shall not abscond, tamper with evidence, or influence witnesses.
