Siya Goyal, along with her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, has been accused of pushing her fiancé, Ketan Agarwal, from a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune on June 18, leading to his death. As the murder investigation progresses, a parallel legal battle has unfolded over the identity of Siya's authorised legal counsel.
Advocate Aashuutosh Srivastava has asserted that Siya Goyal appointed him as her legal representative in the Ketan Agarwal murder case and executed a duly signed legal authorisation empowering him to appear on her behalf before the court. However, Siya's brother, Sahil Goyal, rejected this claim and maintained that the family had appointed advocate Vipul Dushing to represent her.
The dispute escalated after Siya Goyal reportedly informed the Vadagaon Maval Court during a hearing that Aashuutosh Srivastava was not her lawyer and that advocate Vipul Dushing was representing her. Despite this statement, both advocates have publicly claimed to be Siya's legal representative.
Following the court proceedings, Srivastava served a 10-page legal notice on Sahil Goyal, demanding Rs 10 crore in damages for alleged defamation. The notice also seeks the immediate withdrawal of what it describes as false, frivolous, derogatory, disparaging, distorted, slanderous, malicious, malevolent and defamatory public statements, along with a public apology.
In the legal notice, Srivastava stated that any public assertion suggesting he acted without authority or valid appointment was inherently defamatory and had caused direct professional harm. He claimed that Siya Goyal, being an adult, had voluntarily executed and signed the legal authorisation in his favour for her legal defence.
According to the notice, the appointment was neither an oral claim nor a media projection, but a legally valid authority voluntarily granted by an adult client facing criminal charges. Srivastava further alleged that Sahil Goyal's public statements implying that he lacked authorisation from the family had caused both measurable and immeasurable losses, including damage to his professional reputation, loss of goodwill, mental distress, reduced confidence among existing and prospective clients, and increased personal risk resulting from the hostile public narrative.
The notice calls upon Sahil Goyal to remove the allegedly defamatory video statements and all related republications from social media platforms, video-sharing platforms, messaging applications and news portals. It also demands payment of Rs 10 crore in damages within seven days, an unconditional written apology and public retraction within 48 hours, and a written assurance that no such statements will be made in the future.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the Ketan Agarwal murder case continues to gather pace. On Monday, the Vadagaon Maval Court extended the police custody of Siya Goyal and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary by five more days after investigators sought additional time to recreate the crime scene with both accused present.
During the hearing, the investigating officers informed the court that Siya Goyal had allegedly torn and burned Ketan Agarwal's passport and that efforts were continuing to recover its remains. Police also stated that Chetan Chaudhary had changed his clothes after the alleged murder and that investigators were tracing his subsequent movements. In addition, the investigation is focused on establishing the details of the telephone conversations allegedly exchanged between the two accused after the incident.
The legal dispute over Siya Goyal's representation has now added another layer of complexity to a high-profile murder investigation that continues to attract widespread public and legal attention as investigators pursue crucial evidence and the court monitors the progress of the case.
About The Author
.jpg)
Comment List