Twisha Sharma case: Supreme Court asks MP govt to ensure CBI probe; urges media not to publish statements of accused, witness

'Pained' by the narrative that the judiciary is shielding the accused, says bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday told the Madhya Pradesh government to ensure the case of alleged dowry death of 33-year-old former model and actor Twisha Sharma is handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and also urged the media not to record statements of witnesses or potential accused, warning that it might prejudice the probe.

A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the court was “pained” by the narrative that the judiciary was shielding the accused, after noting that the State had consented to the CBI probe.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the MP State government submitted that the CBI would take over the probe, and that he would ensure that the administrative steps would be taken on Monday itself.

The court asked the victim’s family and potential witnesses to record statements before the investigating agency, not through media sound bytes.

The bench took suo motu cognisance of the case of unnatural death of Twisha Sharma on Saturday (May 23).

Questions of institutional bias were raised in respect of probe, including allegations that a fair investigation was being denied because the accused’s husband is a lawyer and his mother is a former district judge.

Maintaining that public speculation must stop and faith must be placed in the premier investigating agency, the bench said it had expressed no opinion on merits and that the CBI had to examine all aspects of the case. 

In its order, the bench recorded that Mehta informed that a second autopsy was conducted in Bhopal by a team of AIIMS Delhi. Thereafter the body was cremated. The only issue for consideration was the consent to the CBI probe. 

Mehta said that matter would be taken up with authorities so that CBI immediately takes over the investigation during the day.

Twisha's husband, Samarth Singh, a practising advocate, and her mother-in-law Giribala Singh, an ex-district judge, are accused of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide of Sharma.

On May 23, the court registered the case as 'In Re: Alleged institutional bias and procedural discrepancies in the unnatural death of a young girl at her matrimonial home'.

On the same day, a Bhopal court remanded Samarth in police custody for seven days, while Giribala said the police were yet to contact her for recording her statement in the high-profile case.

Twisha, 33, was found hanging at her matrimonial home in Bhopal's Katara Hills area on May 12, 2026, following which an FIR was registered against Samarth and Giribala for alleged harassment for dowry.

Giribala is currently the chairperson of the Bhopal District Consumer Court.