In Top Court's Honeymoon Murder Order, A Message On Changing Family System

The Supreme Court, while cancelling the bail of Sonam Raghuvanshi - who is accused of murdering her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya last year - flagged the implications of modern relationships and the changing family structure in society.A bench of justices M M Sundresh and P B Varale pointed out the importance of joint family systems in the country - agreeing with Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta's, remarks."The joint family system ensured that in case of problems within couples, elders solved it. In cases of nuclear families, they are alone, and so, separations are on a rise. So is depression. While social media has increased exposure, young people today are also more vulnerable to mental pressure, which often spills over into personal relationships and family life," Mehta said.Also Read: Why Supreme Court Cancelled Sonam Raghuvanshi's Bail, Asked Her To SurrenderTo this, Justice M M Sundresh said, "Such incidents are bound to happen in a changing family system. We will see a rise in conflict with personal laws with the rise in matrimonial disputes. The present generation may be more knowledgeable than us, but in terms of dealing with pressure, they are more vulnerable."Mehta then responded that the youth have "more information but not more knowledge"."Whatever is being shared on WhatsApp is being treated as knowledge," Justice P B Varale said, highlighting the dangers of misinformation in the digital age."The other day I saw a child crying and the parents immediately handed him a mobile. Parents are replaced by a mobile like this...It becomes a disaster!...It is a great difficulty for parents like us, but then we gradually have to change," Justice M M Sundresh added.The top court bench, while cancelling Sonam Raghuvanshi's bail, said that the allegations against her are "quite serious".According to the court, she would be at liberty to apply for bail again after six months if the trial proceedings are not completed.The court further granted three weeks to Sonam to surrender before the police.Sonam was arrested in June last year, nearly 10 days after killing her husband with her lover during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. After spending about 10 months in judicial custody in Shillong District Jail, a trial court granted her bail on April 27 this year. The court observed that the investigating agency failed to properly communicate the grounds of her arrest, and noted that all arrest-related documents, including the arrest memo, justification checklist, inspection memo and case diary extract, incorrectly mentioned Section 403(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita instead of Section 103(1), which deals with the offence of murder.The Meghalaya government then challenged the trial court's order in the high court, saying the error was purely typographical and had caused no prejudice to the accused. The high court, however, dismissed the appeal, questioning why the same error appeared repeatedly across multiple official documents. The Meghalaya government had then moved the Supreme Court, challenging the high court's decision.