Ketan Agarwal Death Case: Advocate Sends ₹10 Crore Defamation Notice To Siya Goyal's Brother
Advocate Aashutosh Srivastava issued a Rs.10 crore defamation notice to Sahil Goyal after a dispute over legal representation in the Ketan Agarwal murder case, while a Pune court extended the custody of Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary
A fresh legal controversy has surfaced in the sensational murder case of Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal, with Advocate Aashutosh Srivastava issuing a Rs.10 crore defamation notice to Sahil Goyal, the brother of prime accused Siya Goyal, over allegations questioning his authority to represent her.
The development comes even as the Vadgaon Maval court extended the police custody of Siya Goyal and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary till July 3, allowing investigators more time to probe the alleged conspiracy behind Agarwal's death.
The dispute erupted after Sahil Goyal, in an interview with India Today TV ahead of Monday's court hearing, denied that his family had engaged advocate Aashutosh Srivastava to represent Siya. Sahil further alleged that Srivastava may have obtained Siya's signatures on legal documents through deception and claimed the family had officially appointed advocate Vipul Dushing as her counsel.
In response, Srivastava served a legal notice accusing Sahil of making "false, baseless, defamatory and misleading" statements that allegedly caused serious damage to his professional reputation. The notice seeks Rs.10 crore as damages and compensation, besides demanding that Sahil withdraw the allegations, issue a public apology and undertake not to repeat similar statements in future.
According to Srivastava, neither he nor his legal team ever dealt with Sahil or other members of the Goyal family. Instead, he claimed they had approached Siya directly and that she voluntarily authorised them to represent her.
"Our team met Siya Goyal. She required legal assistance, so she signed the vakalatnama in our favour. Siya Goyal is an adult and is fully capable of making her own decisions. We never spoke to Sahil Goyal; we dealt directly with Siya. The vakalatnama bears her signatures and is valid up to the Bombay High Court," Srivastava said.
However, the controversy intensified inside the Vadgaon Maval court during Monday's hearing.
As per reports, both Srivastava and Advocate Vipul Dushing appeared before the court, each claiming to represent Siya Goyal. Srivastava submitted a vakalatnama purportedly signed by the accused. The confusion, however, was resolved when Siya herself informed the court that Advocate Vipul Dushing, and not Srivastava, was her chosen legal representative.
Outside the courtroom, Sahil Goyal reiterated that the family had never authorised Srivastava to appear on Siya's behalf. "We have never engaged him, and he is not someone appointed by us. Whatever he is claiming, I have no knowledge of it," Sahil told reporters. Advocate Dushing also maintained that his team had been officially representing Siya from the beginning of the proceedings.
The allegations made in Srivastava's legal notice remain his claims. Sahil Goyal has not yet publicly responded to the notice.
What's the Ketan Agarwal Death Case?
The Ketan Agarwal case concerns the death of the 22-year-old Pune businessman, who died on June 18 after falling into a deep gorge at Lohagad Fort near Lonavala. Initially reported as an accidental fall during a trek, the case took a dramatic turn after investigators concluded that the death was allegedly the result of a pre-planned conspiracy.
Police have arrested Agarwal's fiancée Siya Goyal and her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary, accusing them of conspiring to push him off a nearly 400-foot cliff at the fort's "Ghost Point." Both are currently in police custody till June 29.
The investigation has since uncovered what police describe as multiple earlier attempts to execute the alleged plan. According to investigators, Siya allegedly persuaded Ketan to visit Lohagad Fort on several occasions. During one such visit on June 14, she allegedly attempted to push him off the cliff, but he survived after grabbing onto nearby bushes. Police claim she later told him she had pushed him only because she had spotted a snake nearby.
Investigators further claim that Siya has told police she did not want to marry Ketan and feared the social consequences of calling off the engagement. According to police, she allegedly stated that she disliked his appearance, including his baldness, his use of a wig and his stammer, and believed ending the engagement would embarrass both families.
However, Ketan's father has publicly rejected the suggestion that his son's appearance played any meaningful role in the crime, stating that if Siya did not wish to marry him, she could simply have refused instead of allegedly planning his murder.
Meanwhile, Siya's mother has stated that her daughter was initially unwilling to visit Lohagad Fort and claimed that Ketan had insisted on the trekking trip. She also maintained that if her daughter is found guilty, she should receive the strictest punishment available under law.
It is to be noted that Senior Advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam, the prosecutor widely known for securing the conviction of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Ajmal Kasab, has been appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in the sensational Ketan Agarwal murder case. The Maharashtra government has also decided to conduct the trial through a fast-track court to ensure an expeditious conclusion.
[Inputs: India Today]