Advocate Ashutosh Srivastava opposed the extension of police custody, stating that the allegations must be proven through a proper investigation and trial.
Published: June 28, 2026, 11:39 PM IST
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New Delhi: Advocate Ashutosh Srivastava, representing Siya Goyal—an accused in the high-profile Ketan Agarwal murder case—defended his client and questioned the strength of the evidence. He opposed the extension of police custody, stating that the allegations must be proven through a proper investigation and trial.
Speaking to IANS as the police custody for Siya and Chetan was set to expire, Advocate Ashutosh Srivastava said, “My effort will be to ensure custody is not extended. The accused has cooperated with the police in every way and answered all questions. Family members have also recorded their statements. The police have had sufficient time for interrogation. The accused is a 20-year-old woman; therefore, I believe the court will consider this aspect and remand her to judicial custody. We will then proceed with the legal process.”
Regarding the police summoning Siya’s brother and parents for questioning, the lawyer said, “They answered the questions asked of them, although I do not wish to say much about her family. Our strategy is simply to present every aspect of the accused’s defense and ensure her side is placed before the court.”
Ashutosh Srivastava stated, “The facts in this case do not provide a clear indication. At first glance, there is no statement pointing towards murder. Apart from some suspicion, I see nothing here that supports such a conclusion.”
Siya Goyal’s lawyer added, “I find it very strange to believe that an accused facing such serious allegations would take the very person she allegedly wanted to kill to the same location four times. That does not seem plausible to me.”
Siya’s lawyer, Ashutosh Srivastava, remarked, “I have even seen memes where people are saying, ‘Don’t go to a hilltop with your spouse, because you might get pushed, you could die, and there might not even be any evidence left.’” “I view this from the perspective of an accident.”
Ashutosh Srivastava said, “The complainant has stated in the FIR that Chetan and Siya were friends. This is significant to me because if the complainant and the family members were aware of their friendship—and it was an ordinary friendship—then no objection was raised regarding it. Had it not been an ordinary friendship, it is possible that objections would have been raised.”
(With IANS inputs)
