Siya Goyal’s legal representation row has deepened.
Lawyer Ashotush Srivastava sent ₹10 crore defamation notice.
Siya’s brother denied family hired Srivastava as counsel.
The question of who represents Siya Goyal has added a new twist to the Pune fort death case, with advocate Ashotush Srivastava sending a ₹10 crore defamation notice to her brother, Sahil Goyal, over claims about her legal representation.
Siya Goyal is accused of killing her fiancé, Ketan Agarwal, along with her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary. Agarwal was reportedly pushed off a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune on June 18.
The controversy began after Sahil Goyal denied that the family had appointed Srivastava as Siya’s lawyer. Srivastava then sent him a ₹10 crore defamation notice, alleging that false claims had been made about his role in the case.
“We have sent a ₹10 crore defamation notice to Sahil Goyal. We did this because we heard a statement from him where he is stating completely false facts, lying, and attempting to mislead the public,” Srivastava told news agency PTI.
He said Siya had signed and authorised all necessary legal documents, including the Vakalatnama, which had already been filed in court. He also claimed that she had given his team legal authority for her High Court representation.
Brother Denies Lawyer’s Claim
Srivastava said he had no communication with Sahil Goyal and argued that Siya, as an accused, had the legal right to retain a lawyer.
“We have absolutely nothing to do with Sahil Goyal. We haven’t spoken to him, had no communication with him on any subject, and exchanged no emails,” he told PTI.
He added that if Siya wished to change her counsel, there was a formal legal process for it, which required a No Objection Certificate.
“Sahil Goyal must issue an apology for his statement, because we do not represent him, and he holds absolutely no authority to give false statements,” Srivastava said.
Sahil Goyal, however, denied that the family had hired Srivastava.
“We have never hired him, and he is not someone that we have hired from our family. I know nothing about what he is claiming,” Sahil told news agency ANI.
The confusion over representation emerged after Srivastava appeared publicly on Siya’s behalf and questioned the evidentiary value of her alleged confession made while in police custody. Within a day, another advocate, Vipul Dushing, announced that he and his legal team were representing Siya Goyal in the case.
Police Recreate Fort Crime Scene
The legal row comes a day after Pune Rural Police took Siya Goyal to Lohagad Fort to recreate the events of June 18, when Ketan Agarwal died.
According to investigators, Siya allegedly demonstrated how she signalled co-accused Chetan Chaudhary by sitting down, either pretending to drink water or tying her shoelaces, before Chaudhary allegedly pushed Agarwal off the cliff.
Police claimed the two had earlier visited the fort to identify a suitable location for the crime and had even conducted a “practice” run. Officials said they are still verifying where the alleged rehearsal took place.
