The Supreme Court will on Friday take up for urgent hearing the Meghalaya government’s appeal challenging a high court order upholding the bail granted to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, while the couple were on honeymoon in the state in June last year.

A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Sheel Nagu agreed to list the matter for urgent hearing upon a request from solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, representing the state, who submitted that there was serious apprehension that if Sonam was released on bail, she might abscond.

The state filed the present appeal challenging a Meghalaya High Court single-judge bench order of June 29, in which it refused to interfere with the trial court order of April 27, which had granted bail to Sonam citing procedural irregularities.

The trial court and the high court had taken the view that statutory provisions relating to furnishing grounds of arrest to the accused were not complied with by the Meghalaya police, reflecting a total lack of a judicious mind on the part of the investigating agency. Hence, she was granted bail by the trial court and the same was affirmed by the high court, following which the state filed the present appeal.

Mehta on Thursday told the bench that Sonam’s two earlier bail petitions had been dismissed by the trial court on the ground that if granted, she would abscond.