INDORE, Mar 4: In a symbolic act of anger and grief, the family of Raja Raghuvanshi burnt the wedding sari worn by his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, during Holika Dahan in Indore early this month.

Sonam is accused of conspiring to murder her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya in May last year.

Raja's mother, Uma Raghuvanshi, said the red sari worn by Sonam during the wedding rituals was burnt to signify the destruction of evil, the pain of betrayal and to eliminate the memories of the accused, who is currently in jail.

Sonam and her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, are accused of hiring contract killers to murder Raja Raghuvanshi.

Raja's mother said they wanted to "extinguish the fire of betrayal" and that the act was a form of justice and closure for their family.

Standing beside the fire, Uma reportedly said, “Sonam is in jail; we cannot burn her. So we burnt her sari and the memories attached to it."

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier prohibited burning of effigies of Sonam Raghuvanshi during Dussehra, deeming it "wholly impermissible".

The burning of the sari was treated as a personal, symbolic ritual by the aggrieved family to mark the triumph of truth over betrayal, it was stated.