Itanagar: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear in July a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by Lishi Roni, the prime accused in the 2020 murder of his wife, Techi Meena Lishi, and her unborn child, challenging the Gauhati High Court’s rejection of his bail application.
During a brief hearing on April 9, a bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and S V N Bhatti was informed that the trial court is likely to conclude the examination of all remaining prosecution witnesses by the end of May. Taking note of the state’s affidavit detailing the trial schedule, the apex court directed the matter be listed for detailed consideration in July.
The development follows the Gauhati High Court’s order on September 2, 2024, denying Roni bail on the grounds of the gravity of the offence and the strong possibility of him influencing witnesses, many of whom are either his relatives or employees.
Meena, who was seven months pregnant at the time, died under suspicious circumstances on November 5, 2020, in a reported car accident near Karsingsa. According to the FIR lodged by her brother, Meena had spoken to him shortly before the incident and mentioned she was en route to meet her husband and mother-in-law. She was found dead soon after.
The FIR alleged a pre-planned conspiracy involving Roni and others. Initially booked under Sections 279 and 304A of the IPC for negligent driving, the case was subsequently upgraded to Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 316 (causing death of unborn child), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 34 (common intention) following preliminary investigations.
Chargesheets have also been filed against multiple accused and the case is currently under trial at the Sessions Court in Yupia.
Roni has remained in judicial custody since November 10, 2020. In his bail plea, his counsel argued that despite over three years in jail, only a handful of witnesses had been examined and no direct evidence linked him to the crime.
The defence also referred to alleged confessional statements by co-accused Dathang Suyang and Damrit Khoiyang, who reportedly admitted to killing Meena out of greed, as she was allegedly carrying ₹9–10 lakh in cash.
However, the public prosecutor and the victim’s family strongly opposed the bail plea. Advocate Nabam John, appearing for the deceased’s family, informed the court that 45 prosecution witnesses have been listed so far, including seven added through supplementary chargesheets. He said only five have been examined to date, and the recent framing of charges against another accused had necessitated the re-examination of several witnesses. The prosecution maintained that the trial is active, with hearings taking place twice a month.
The High Court, in its order, observed that the seriousness of the charges outweighed the argument of prolonged detention, and that granting bail at this stage could jeopardise the integrity of the trial.
The Supreme Court is now expected to take up Roni’s plea for detailed hearing next month.
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