SC Intervenes in Twisha Death Case: CBI Assumes Investigation, High Court to Re-evaluate Retd Judges Bail
CBI Formally Takes Over the Investigation
Following a directive from the Supreme Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially taken over the case from the Bhopal Police.
The agency has re-registered the original FIR (initially filed at the Katara Hills Police Station in Bhopal).
A specialized CBI team has already arrived in Bhopal and is scheduled to begin active, on-ground investigations on Tuesday, May 26.
The CBI will investigate the matter under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for dowry death, harassment, and potential criminal conspiracy.
2. Supreme Court Intervention & Suo Motu Cognizance
The Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of the matter due to widespread allegations of "situational bias" and procedural irregularities in the state police's initial handling of the case. The alleged bias stems from the profile of the in-laws; Twisha's husband, Samarth Singh, is a practicing lawyer, and her mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, is a retired District Judge.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court strongly urged both the victim's family and the accused to refrain from giving media interviews or publicly speculating, stating that the media should not prejudge the probe.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta remarked during the proceedings: "For parents, the moral is it is better to have a divorced daughter than a dead daughter."
3. Status of the Accused
Husband (Samarth Singh): After evading arrest for over 10 days, he appeared at the Jabalpur District Court to surrender on Friday. He was subsequently taken into custody by the Bhopal Police and has been remanded to seven days of police custody since Saturday. Police sources report that he has been uncooperative during interrogation. Additionally, the Bar Council of India has barred him from legal practice with immediate effect, and his passport has been seized.
Mother-in-Law (Giribala Singh): The retired judge had previously secured overnight anticipatory bail. However, both the Madhya Pradesh State Government and Twisha’s father have strongly challenged this bail. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has advanced the urgency of this matter, scheduling a dedicated hearing for May 27 to review the petitions for cancellation of her anticipatory bail.
4. Second Autopsy and Cremation
Twisha Sharma was cremated on Sunday evening, May 24, at Bhopal’s Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat, 12 days after her passing on May 12.
Her family had raised serious concerns about the initial post-mortem conducted locally. Consequently, the MP High Court ordered a second autopsy, which was executed by a specially flown-in, four-member expert forensic panel from AIIMS New Delhi.
The definitive report from this second post-mortem is currently awaited and will be handed over directly to the investigative authorities to determine the exact nature of her death.