Supreme Court Takes Suo Motu Cognisance Of Twisha Sharma Dowry Death Case

The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the alleged dowry death of Twisha Sharma and registered a case titled In Re: Alleged Institutional Bias and Procedural Discrepancies in the Unnatural Death of Young Woman at Matrimonial Home. The matter is scheduled to be heard on Monday by a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant.

The bench will also include Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi. The case was registered by the Supreme Court on Friday evening after taking note of media reports and surrounding circumstances connected to the incident.

Twisha Sharma, a 33-year-old woman and former Miss Pune winner, was found dead on May 12 at her matrimonial home in Katara Hills, Bhopal. Reports stated that she had been living in Noida before marriage and had met her husband through a dating application nearly five months earlier.

Her husband, Samarth Singh, a practising advocate, and mother-in-law Giribala Singh, a former District Judge, have been accused of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide. The allegations raised concerns over possible institutional bias and procedural irregularities in the investigation process.

Samarth Singh recently surrendered before the trial court after withdrawing his anticipatory bail plea from the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The court subsequently sent him to seven-day police custody for further investigation in the matter.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh Police has approached the High Court seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to Giribala Singh. The police argued that custodial interrogation may be necessary in connection with the ongoing investigation.

Twisha Sharma’s family has consistently alleged that she was subjected to domestic violence and harassment after marriage. They also demanded a second post-mortem examination, claiming that the initial investigation did not adequately address the circumstances surrounding her death.

The High Court recently allowed the family’s plea seeking a second autopsy. The Supreme Court’s decision to independently examine the matter has now added another significant dimension to the case, particularly regarding allegations of procedural lapses and institutional influence.

The suo motu proceedings are expected to focus not only on the circumstances of Twisha Sharma’s death but also on the manner in which the investigation was conducted by the authorities.