Ketan Murder Trial & Siya’s ‘Courtroom Drama’: Lawyer Sends Rs 10-Crore Defamation Notice To Her Brother

Last Updated:June 30, 2026, 14:03 IST

Ketan Agarwal murder trial: Advocate Srivastava sends defamation notice to Siya’s brother, stating latter's remark that "Srivastava's team was never hired by Goyals" was misleading

Amid the crucial questions related to the Ketan Agarwal murder case, the courtroom saw another dramatic twist involving accused Siya Goyal, 20 — who represents her? While Advocate Aashuutosh Srivastava claimed he was her counsel, Advocate Vipul Dushing said the family had appointed him. Meanwhile, Advocate Srivastava has now sent a Rs 10-crore defamation notice to Siya Goyal’s brother, Sahil, following a dramatic clash over who legally speaks for the accused.

Here’s all you need to know.

The courtroom dispute

A public conflict erupted over who actually represents the accused during her remand proceedings at the Vadgaon Maval court. Advocate Aashuutosh Srivastava appeared in court and began presenting arguments for the defence, asserting that he holds a valid, signed Vakalatnama (authorisation document) from Siya that is part of the official judicial record, according to Bar & Bench.

When addressed, Siya directly informed the magistrate that she has only engaged Advocate Vipul Dushing to represent her. Following her statement, Srivastava was unable to continue and left the courtroom, said the report.

Siya’s brother, Sahil Goyal, and the rest of her family reiterated that Dushing is their officially appointed counsel and publicly denied ever engaging Srivastava or his team.

The ₹10-crore defamation notice

Following the courtroom dispute, Advocate Aashutosh Srivastava issued a ₹10-crore defamation notice to Sahil Goyal. Srivastava claimed that Sahil’s public statements to the media on June 29, asserting that “Srivastava was never hired", are false, misleading, and seriously damaging to his professional reputation, according to the report.

The legal notice demands that Sahil withdraw his allegations, issue a public apology, provide a written assurance that he will not repeat the statements, and pay ₹10 crore in damages. Srivastava maintains that since Siya Goyal is an adult, she has every legal right to sign authorisation documents independently of her family, Bar & Bench reported.

The Ketan Agarwal murder case

Siya Goyal and her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary are currently in police custody for the alleged murder of her fiancé, Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal. Agarwal was allegedly pushed to his death from a 350-foot-deep cliff at Lohagad Fort near Lonavala on June 18.

While the defence team challenges the prosecution’s theory, high-profile advocate Ujjwal Nikam has been appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor to lead the state’s case.

About the Author

Manjiri Joshi

At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci...Read More

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