The defense lawyers for Siya Goyal and her co-accused Chetan Chaudhary are challenging the murder case against them in the death of Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal, asserting a lack of independent evidence and eyewitnesses to implicate their clients, with Siya's lawyer noting the investigation is ongoing and no chargesheet has been filed. Conversely, Pune Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajanan Tompe stated that technical evidence and witness examinations have established the roles of both Siya and Chetan in the alleged murder, and family members and friends will be questioned further, while the Maharashtra government has appointed senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor for a fast-track trial at the request of the victim's family, who are seeking the death penalty and welcomed the accelerated proceedings, with Ketan's father refuting claims that his son's wig caused issues and highlighting that Siya's family was informed of his hair patch before the engagement.

The defense lawyers for Siya Goyal and her co-accused Chetan Chaudhary are challenging the murder case against them in the death of Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal, asserting a lack of independent evidence and eyewitnesses to implicate their clients, with Siya's lawyer noting the investigation is ongoing and no chargesheet has been filed. Conversely, Pune Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajanan Tompe stated that technical evidence and witness examinations have established the roles of both Siya and Chetan in the alleged murder, and family members and friends will be questioned further, while the Maharashtra government has appointed senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor for a fast-track trial at the request of the victim's family, who are seeking the death penalty and welcomed the accelerated proceedings, with Ketan's father refuting claims that his son's wig caused issues and highlighting that Siya's family was informed of his hair patch before the engagement.

The defense lawyers for Siya Goyal and her co-accused Chetan Chaudhary are challenging the murder case against them in the death of Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal, asserting a lack of independent evidence and eyewitnesses to implicate their clients, with Siya's lawyer noting the investigation is ongoing and no chargesheet has been filed. Conversely, Pune Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajanan Tompe stated that technical evidence and witness examinations have established the roles of both Siya and Chetan in the alleged murder, and family members and friends will be questioned further, while the Maharashtra government has appointed senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor for a fast-track trial at the request of the victim's family, who are seeking the death penalty and welcomed the accelerated proceedings, with Ketan's father refuting claims that his son's wig caused issues and highlighting that Siya's family was informed of his hair patch before the engagement.

The lawyers representing Siya Goyal and her lover and co-accused, Chetan Chaudhary, questioned the case being built against the duo in the murder of Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal, claiming there was no independent evidence linking their clients to the crime.

Siya's lawyer said there were no eyewitnesses, independent witnesses or corroborative evidence to establish that she was responsible for Ketan's death. He maintained that the investigation was still underway and that the police had not yet filed the chargesheet.

"This entire matter is under investigation, and the police are conducting the probe properly. Initially, it was registered as a case of accidental death, but the police later began investigating a murder angle. Our client is cooperating fully with the investigation so that the police can reach a proper conclusion, file the appropriate chargesheet and bring the truth to light," he said.

The lawyer added that, in his view, there were no independent witnesses to prove the allegations against Siya.

"We all desire justice for everyone involved—whether it is the victim and their family or the accused and their family. We will represent her on the 29th. Our stance will be to seek judicial custody for her. If the police seek further police remand, they will have to justify the need for it before the court," he said.

Ram Shahane, Chetan’s lawyer, also claimed that his client was being falsely implicated.

"The FIR does not specifically describe his role in the alleged offence. It merely states that he is the boyfriend of the main accused, and on that basis, he has been implicated in the case," Shahane said.

The statements by the lawyers came even as Pune Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajanan Tompe said the investigation was progressing and that the roles of both Siya and Chetan in the murder had been established.

"We have gathered technical evidence and examined several witnesses. Based on all this, the investigation is ongoing. A large number of people have been questioned," Tompe said.

He added that Siya's family members and friends would also be summoned as part of the investigation.

"So far, the roles of both Siya and Chetan have been established in the alleged murder of Ketan," he said.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government accepted the Agarwal family's demand for a fast-track trial and appointed senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor in the case.

Nikam said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had informed him that the Agarwal family had specifically requested his appointment.

"The chief minister told me that this case poses a challenge for Maharashtra and requested that I serve as the special public prosecutor. I accepted. The investigation is still underway, and the status can only be discussed after the chargesheet is filed," Nikam said.

Ketan's father, Vishal Agarwal, who met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Pune, sought the death penalty for the accused and welcomed the government's decision to fast-track the case.

Earlier, responding to media reports that Siya allegedly disliked Ketan because he wore a wig, his father said his family had informed Siya's family before the engagement that Ketan used a small hair patch.

"If she had any issues, she should have said no. What was the need to kill my son?" he asked.

He also said he had been informed that a special investigation team (SIT) had been formed to probe the case.

Ketan Agarwal died after falling into a gorge during a trek near Pune. While the case was initially registered as an accidental death, the investigation later took a turn, leading to the arrest of Siya and Chetan.

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