A significant new development has emerged in the ongoing Ketan Agarwal murder case, as advocate Aashutosh Srivastava has sent a ₹10 crore defamation notice to Sahil Goyal, brother of prime accused Siya Goyal. Srivastava claims Sahil made false and damaging allegations that have negatively impacted his professional standing.
Defamation Claim Amidst Legal Representation Dispute
The defamation notice demands ₹10 crore in damages and compensation. Srivastava has also called for Sahil Goyal to retract his allegations, issue a public apology, and provide a written assurance that such statements will not be repeated. This legal action stems from Sahil Goyal's public statements, including an interview with India Today TV, where he disputed Srivastava's authority to represent his sister, Siya Goyal.
The controversy centers on the question of who is authorized to represent Siya Goyal in court. Srivastava appeared before the Vadgaon Maval court, asserting his representation of Siya and submitting a Vakalatnama, a document authorizing a lawyer to act on behalf of a client, purportedly bearing her signature. However, Siya Goyal informed the court that advocate Vipul Dushing was her appointed counsel, a claim reiterated by her family.
Allegations of Deceit and Threats
Sahil Goyal publicly alleged that Srivastava was neither authorized nor appointed by the family to represent Siya. He stated that the family had officially appointed advocate Vipul Dushing and had filed an affidavit to that effect. Furthermore, Sahil suggested that Srivastava might have obtained Siya's signature on legal papers through 'deceit' and accused him of issuing threats to the family.
In response to these accusations, Srivastava's legal notice describes Sahil's statements as "false, baseless, defamatory and misleading," asserting they caused serious harm to his professional reputation. Srivastava maintains that his legal team approached Siya Goyal directly, and she voluntarily authorized 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," Srivastava stated, adding that they dealt directly with Siya, not Sahil.
The Ketan Agarwal Murder Investigation Continues
This defamation dispute unfolds alongside the primary murder investigation. Police allege that 20-year-old Siya Goyal conspired with her 22-year-old boyfriend, Chetan Chaudhary, to murder Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal. Authorities claim Siya did not wish to marry Agarwal and believed cancelling the wedding would bring dishonor to her family. Both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary have been arrested on charges of conspiring to push Agarwal off a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district.
As police continue to seek custodial interrogation of Siya and Chaudhary, the case now involves a complex interplay of a murder investigation and a high-stakes legal battle over representation and defamation.