Siya Goyal's 'lawyer' sues her brother for ₹10 crore
What's the story
Advocate Aashutosh Srivastava has sent a ₹10 crore defamation notice against Sahil Goyal, brother of murder accused Siya Goyal, who, along with her lover Chetan Chaudhary, allegedly pushed Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal off Lohagad Fort. The suit comes after Sahil accused Srivastava of falsely claiming to represent Siya in the Ketan murder case. The advocate claims that Sahil's allegations have tarnished his professional reputation and are "false, baseless, defamatory and misleading."
Representation dispute
Here's what sparked the controversy
The controversy erupted during a court hearing for Siya and her boyfriend Chetan on Monday. During the proceedings, Srivastava appeared with a vakalatnama (legal document that authorizes an advocate to represent a client) allegedly signed by Siya. However, she clarified that advocate Vipul Dushing was her lawyer. Sahil also claimed Srivastava wasn't authorized by their family to represent Siya and alleged possible deceit in obtaining her signature.
Legal demands
Srivastava denies all allegations
After Sahil's allegations, Srivastava sent a legal notice demanding the withdrawal of allegations, a public apology, and assurance against repeating such statements. The advocate maintains his team approached Siya directly for legal assistance and she voluntarily signed the vakalatnama. "Our team met Siya Goyal. She required legal assistance, so she signed the vakalatnama in our favor," Srivastava said. "She...executed a vakalatnama in our favor, valid up to the Bombay High Court. The document bears her signatures," Srivastava said.
Ongoing investigation
Police seek further custody of Siya and Chetan
Meanwhile, police are seeking further custodial interrogation of Siya and Chetan. They claim the couple had visited Lohagad Fort to identify the spot where Ketan was allegedly pushed. Investigators are also working to recover deleted digital evidence, verify timelines with Chaudhary, and confront the duo with newly identified witnesses. The prosecution alleges that 20-year-old Siya conspired with her boyfriend against Ketan because she did not want to marry him.