Supreme Court Hands Over Twisha Sharma Death Probe To CBI, Seeks Media Restraint

The Supreme Court has transferred the probe into the Twisha Sharma death case to the Central Bureau of Investigation while hearing the suo motu matter titled In Re: Alleged Institutional Bias and Procedural Discrepancies in the Unnatural Death of Young Woman at Matrimonial Home.

A Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi, expressed concern over allegations of institutional bias in the investigation because the deceased woman’s husband is an advocate and the mother-in-law is a former district judge.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Court that the CBI would take over the investigation and necessary administrative formalities would be completed immediately.

The Court also urged the media to avoid broadcasting statements made by the victim’s family or the accused during the ongoing investigation. The Chief Justice said the Court was “slightly at pain” over certain developments and requested media organisations to allow the legal process to continue without sensational coverage.

In its order, the Bench observed that publishing statements of witnesses or accused persons at this stage could prejudice issues that are still under investigation. The Court further appealed to the public to avoid speculation and place trust in the investigation by the country’s premier agency.

The Bench also advised the victim’s family to provide statements directly to the investigating authorities instead of sharing them with the media.

During the hearing, the Solicitor General stated that one of the “potential accused”, identified as the victim’s mother-in-law, had appeared across multiple television channels and allegedly made statements against the deceased, leading to a media battle between both sides. He further submitted that she was not cooperating with the investigation.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the accused, objected to media reporting and pointed out that the deceased’s Section 164 CrPC statement had been published in newspapers.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra argued before the Court that there had been a delay of three days in registering the FIR and alleged failure in preserving evidence. He also questioned the legality of the mother-in-law independently producing call data records.

The Solicitor General informed the Court that a second autopsy had already been conducted by an AIIMS Bhopal medical team following directions issued by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Twisha Sharma, a 33-year-old former Miss Pune winner living in Noida, was found dead at her matrimonial home in Bhopal on May 12. Her husband Samarth Singh and mother-in-law Giribala Singh are facing allegations of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide.