New Delhi (India) July 1: In a new development in the murder case of Ketan Agarwal, the Pune based real estate agent, an advocate Aashutosh Srivastava has issued a notice of defamation against Siya Goyal's brother, Sahil Goyal, claiming he made "false and defamatory allegations" which had harmed his reputation. Srivastava is seeking Rs 10 crore in damages from Sahil.

Siya Denies Srivastava's Claim In Court

During a hearing in the court, Siya allegedly stated that she is being represented by advocate Vipul Dushing and that Aashutosh Srivastava was not representing her. Her brother Sahil corroborated this, stating the family had hired Dushing for legal proceedings. 

He further stated that he had filed an affidavit in the court to support his claim and suggested that Srivastava might have deceitfully obtained Siya's signatures and had even issued threats to the family. 

Srivastava Cites Signed Vakalatnama by Siya

Advocate Aashutosh Srivastava insisted that Siya herself had signed a vakalatnama authorising him to appear on her behalf. He pointed out that Siya is an adult and did not need her family's permission to appoint her lawyer.

"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. Sahil Goyal's statement is incorrect because we never spoke to him; we dealt directly with Siya. She spoke to us and executed a vakalatnama in our favour, valid up to the Bombay High Court. The document bears her signatures," Srivastava said.

Following Sahil's remarks, Srivastava sent him a legal notice seeking damages for alleged harm to his professional reputation, loss of clients' trust, stress and damage to public image. 

Police Custody Extended for Further Investigation

According to police, on June 18, Siya Goyal and her alleged lover and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary pushed Ketan Agarwal, Siya's fiance, off a cliff at Lohagad Fort near Pune. Their police custody has been extended by five days by a court on Monday.

The investigators require more time to recreate the crime scene and continue their inquiry, police informed the court. The police have also recovered burned remnants of Ketan's passport and believe Siya tore and set fire to it. The probe has also been directed at Chetan's actions after the murder, including his change of clothes and communications with Siya post the incident.

Ketan Raised Concerns Before Engagement

Fresh evidence has emerged in the investigation of Ketan Agrawal's murder in Pune. It is understood that the deceased suspected his fiancee, Siya Goyal, of being involved in another relationship and had expressed his concern to his family regarding whether enough diligence was conducted prior to finalizing the marriage. 

Ketan had also reportedly expressed concerns repeatedly about Siya's close proximity to Chetan Chaudhary, who is allegedly her partner and a co-accused in the murder case. Vishal Agarwal, father of the victim, has informed investigators that Ketan had persistently raised questions about Siya's conduct and her regular references to Chetan in conversations.