MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the secretary of law and judiciary to initiate a fast-track trial in the Pune fort murder case to ensure speedy justice for 25-year-old Ketan Agarwal, who was allegedly murdered by his fiancée, Siya Goyal, at Lohagad Fort in Lonavala.
Ketan Agarwal, son of a developer, was allegedly pushed into a 400-foot-deep gorge at the ghost point of Lohagad Fort on June 18, 2026, by Siya Goyal and her 22-year-old boyfriend, Chetan Chaudhary. Both have been arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy and murder and are in seven-day police custody.
Ketan's parents met the Chief Minister and requested a fast-track trial. Fadnavis endorsed the request and asked the law and judiciary department to consider it. He also sought the appointment of senior counsel and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor in the case.
Meanwhile, police claimed that during questioning, Siya admitted that fear of social stigma and family embarrassment was one of the reasons behind the alleged conspiracy to kill her fiancé instead of calling off the wedding. Police claim she told investigators that she saw no practical way to back out of the marriage without public humiliation.
Siya also made several claims about her relationship with Ketan. She told police that she did not want to marry him because he was bald and wore a wig, that she did not like his personality and that he stammered while speaking. She also claimed that she had asked Ketan to call off the marriage, but he insisted on marrying her and allegedly threatened her with serious consequences if she broke the engagement.
Siya's father suffered a heart attack and was admitted to hospital. Her mother said that if Siya was guilty, she should receive the harshest punishment. She also claimed that Siya was not in favour of going to Lohagad Fort and that Ketan had insisted on the trip.
“I witnessed that because I was sitting near Siya when Ketan made the video call to her and asked her to visit Lohagad fort for trekking. I am not saying my daughter has done everything wrong; she cannot be held for all wrongs,” Siya’s mother said.
CM Devendra Fadnavis described the case as shocking and said it called for social introspection.
“We need to understand why young people from educated and financially secure families could allegedly develop such violent and destructive intentions. We need to examine what leads to such a kind of mindset. As a society, we must think about creating an environment in which such cruel and revenge-driven thoughts do not take root among young people,” Fadnavis said.