The high-profile murder case of Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal has taken a turn for the worse when advocate Aashutosh Srivastava issued a ₹10 crore defamation notice to Sahil Goyal, brother of prime accused Siya Goyal. The legal notice accuses Sahil of making false and defamatory statements that have damaged Srivastava's professional reputation.
The dispute stems from an interview Sahil Goyal gave to India Today TV in which he denied that his family had appointed Aashutosh Srivastava as Siya Goyal's lawyer. Sahil also claimed that Srivastava may have gotten Siya's signatures on legal documents through deception, claims that the advocate has categorically denied.
₹10 Crore Defamation Claim
In the legal notice, Srivastava said Sahil's allegations were "false, baseless, defamatory and misleading", and they had caused a lot of damage to his professional standing and credibility.
The notice demands ₹10 crore in damages and compensation, as well as immediate withdrawal of the allegations and a public apology and written assurance that similar statements will not be repeated in the future.
According to Srivastava, his legal team approached Siya Goyal directly, and she voluntarily authorised them to represent her after seeking legal assistance.
A dispute over Siya Goyal’s legal representation
The controversy was also happening in Vadgaon Maval Court on Monday.
Srivastava appeared before the court claiming to represent Siya Goyal and submitted a vakalatnama that he said carried her signatures.
However, during the hearing, Siya said to the court that advocate Vipul Dushing was representing her. Her family also said Dushing had been officially appointed as her legal counsel.
Sahil Goyal had previously publicly claimed that Srivastava had never been authorised by the family. He claimed that the family had already appointed advocate Vipul Dushing and had filed an affidavit before the court confirming the appointment.
Sahil also claimed that Srivastava may have secured Siya's signatures “by deceit” and also accused the advocate of threatening family members.
Srivastava Rejects Allegations
Aashutosh Srivastava defended his behaviour and said his team had interacted directly with Siya Goyal without involving her family.
"Our team met Siya Goyal. She required legal assistance, so she signed the vakalatnama in our favour. Siya Goyal is an adult and she is fully capable of making her own decisions. We never spoke to Sahil Goyal; we dealt directly with Siya. She voluntarily signed the vakalatnama, which is valid up to the Bombay High Court," Srivastava said.
As of now, Sahil Goyal has not publicly responded to the ₹10 crore defamation notice.
Police Seek Further Custodial Interrogation
Meanwhile, the murder of Ketan Agarwal continues to be investigated.
Police have sought further custodial interrogation of Siya Goyal and her alleged boyfriend Chetan Chaudhary, telling the court that the duo had previously visited Lohagad Fort to identify the exact location from where Agarwal was allegedly pushed to his death.
Investigators told the court they have been working to recover deleted digital evidence, verify the reconstructed sequence of events, identify other witnesses through CCTV footage and recover Agarwal's missing passport which police suspect Siya discarded during an earlier trip.
Police will also confront the accused with new witnesses in the course of the investigation.
The Murder Case
According to police, 20-year-old Siya Goyal and her 22-year-old boyfriend Chetan Chaudhary conspired to murder Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal because Siya did not want to marry him but feared that calling off the engagement would bring dishonour to her family.
Investigators allege that the couple lured Agarwal to Lohagad Fort on the pretense of celebrating Siya’s birthday before pushing him off a cliff. Initially believed to be an accidental fall, the case turned into a murder investigation after police discovered inconsistencies in the accused’s statements and gathered more evidence.
Both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary remain in custody on charges of criminal conspiracy and murder, while the investigation continues. The allegations in the defamation notice are those of advocate Aashutosh Srivastava, and the dispute over Siya's legal representation remains a separate legal matter.
