Key Points
- The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has banned the burning of effigies of Sonam Raghuvanshi and 11 other women accused in murder cases, an event planned for Dussehra on October 2nd.
- The controversial “Shurpanakha Dahan” event was organized by a men’s rights group called Paurush, which likened the accused women to the mythological demoness Shurpanakha.
- Sonam Raghuvanshi’s mother, Sangeeta Raghuvanshi, filed the petition, arguing that publicly shaming undertrial women, who are not yet convicted, violates their fundamental rights and amounts to a media trial.
- The court, led by Justice Pranav Verma, ruled that such an event could send a negative message at personal and societal levels and is impermissible while the cases are sub-judice.
Indore: The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Saturday, September 27, 2025, issued an order banning a controversial “effigy burning” event planned for the Dussehra festival. The event, organized by a men’s rights group named Paurush, intended to burn effigies of 12 women, including Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the high-profile Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, by branding them as “modern Shurpanakhas”.
Justice Pranav Verma delivered the injunction while hearing a petition filed by Sonam Raghuvanshi’s mother, Sangeeta Raghuvanshi. The court stated that such an event could send a “negative message on both personal and social levels” and is legally untenable as the accused are still undertrial and not proven guilty.
The ‘Shurpanakha Dahan’ Controversy
The organization Paurush had announced its intention to hold a “Shurpanakha Dahan” on Vijayadashami, October 2nd. They had released posters featuring photographs of 12 women, including Sonam Raghuvanshi from Indore and Muskan from Meerut, who are accused of murdering or conspiring to murder their husbands, children, or other family members.
The organizers justified the event by drawing a parallel between the mythological character Shurpanakha, who they described as an “epitome of deceit and cunning,” and these women. They argued that “evil exists not only in mythological figures” but also in modern society, and these women represented a “modern Kaliyuga Shurpanakha” who had betrayed their families.
Legal Challenge and Court’s Rationale
Sangeeta Raghuvanshi’s petition argued that the planned event was a gross violation of her daughter’s rights. The petition highlighted that the women whose effigies were to be burned were only accused, and their cases were still sub-judice. It asserted that no one should have the right to publicly insult and shame them in this manner, emphasizing that they are “someone’s sisters and daughters.”
The High Court concurred with the petitioner’s arguments. Justice Verma’s order emphasized that allowing such an event would amount to a public trial and could prejudice the ongoing legal proceedings. The court’s decision effectively protects the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” and prevents the public shaming of individuals whose cases are yet to be adjudicated by the judiciary.
Background of the Raja Raghuvanshi Murder Case
The controversy is rooted in the sensational Raja Raghuvanshi murder case that shocked the country earlier this year. Sonam Raghuvanshi (24) is accused of conspiring with her lover, Raj Kushwaha, and hiring three accomplices to murder her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi (29), during their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 23, 2025.
The Meghalaya Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed a 790-page chargesheet against Sonam, Raj, and three others—Akash Rajput, Anand Kurmi, and Vishal Singh Chauhan—for murder, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence. Further investigation revealed a wider conspiracy involving a property dealer, a flat owner, and a security guard who allegedly helped Sonam hide evidence, including a pistol, jewelry, cash, and a laptop, after she returned to Indore. The case continues to be under trial, with a recent bail plea for Sonam being heard in a Shillong court.
