Ketan Agarwal case: Trouble mounts for Siya Goyal's family

A legal notices war has begun in the Ketan Agarwal murder case. A lawyer representing Siya Goyal has issued a legal notice to her brother Sahil Goyal, seeking a public apology and a Rs 10 crore defamation lawsuit for defaming him and tarnishing his image.

The notice was sent by Advocate Ashutosh Srivastava to Sahil Goyal. Srivastava alleged that Sahil has defamed him by making disparaging remarks on his public forum regarding his right to represent Siya. According to Srivastava, a vakalatnama was duly signed by Siya for him to represent her, and the court record already bears his vakalatnama as a defense advocate for Siya. Sahil was warned to immediately withdraw his derogatory statements, or face civil defamation proceedings.

Sahil Goyal, however, denied that his family had hired Srivastava to represent Siya and has instead hired advocate Vipul Dushing for Siya’s legal defence. Sahil accused Srivastava of “obtaining her signatures by deceit” and stated that he has filed an affidavit regarding the matter with the court. During a recent court hearing, Siya reportedly clarified her position and told the court, “Aashutosh Srivastava is not my lawyer. Vipul Dushing is representing me.”

What is the Case?

Siya Goyal and her alleged accomplice, Chetan Chaudhary, are accused of pushing her 26-year-old fiancé, realtor Ketan Agarwal, off a cliff in Lohagad Fort in Pune on June 18. According to police, the murder was premeditated after two prior attempts to kill him failed. Police further claimed that Siya had taken ₹1 crore from Ketan under the pretext of their upcoming wedding and had concealed his passport to prevent their planned wedding trip to Bali, which was allegedly part of the conspiracy.

Siya’s parents have unequivocally stated that anyone found guilty, including their daughter, should face the most severe consequences. Her mother Pooja Goyal told reporters, “If my daughter is found guilty, then the person responsible should be thrown from the very place from which Ketan fell.”

Intensifying Legal Battle

Srivastava has also declared his intention to strongly oppose any further extension of police custody for Siya, citing her consistent cooperation with the investigators and adequate time already given for questioning. He further challenged the evidence presented against Siya, pointing out that there was no clear statement directly accusing her of murder and questioning the logic of an accused repeatedly taking a victim to the same spot if planning murder.

Read More About The Ketan, Siya case

With the emergence of dueling legal claims for representation, and the family refuting one of them, the legal battle is taking a dramatic turn, adding further pressure to the high-profile investigation.