The Central Bureau of Investigation is expected to take over the probe into the death of 33-year-old former actor-model Twisha Sharma within a day, following a recommendation by the Madhya Pradesh government to the Supreme Court on Monday, May 25, 2026.
Sharma was found hanging at her matrimonial home in Bhopal's Katara Hills area on May 12, sparking allegations of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide from her family against her husband, Samarth Singh, and mother-in-law, Giribala Singh.
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Supreme Court Intervention
The Supreme Court initiated suo motu proceedings after noting allegations of institutional bias and procedural irregularities in the local investigation, which had drawn massive public attention regarding the handling of forensic evidence, CCTV footage, and delays in filing the police report.
During the top court hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Madhya Pradesh government, emphasized the tragic outcome of the domestic dispute.
"One thing is clear, that the girl has lost her life.
Whether it's suicide or anything else, for parents the moral is that it is better to have a divorced daughter than a dead one," stated Mehta.
The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, recorded the state's submission and urged all parties, alongside the media, to maintain restraint in public discourse to preserve the integrity of the upcoming federal probe.
"Don't go for the statements of the victim's family or the other family. Otherwise, one section is saying the judiciary is not allowing a fair trial.
We have no doubt over our state agencies or CBI. It's only because a kind of narrative is being created.
We will ensure that the unfortunate incident that took place is fairly and impartially investigated," said Chief Justice Surya Kant.
The court explicitly stated it was not evaluating the merits of the prior investigation, leaving the CBI to operate independently, but it warned that public declarations could jeopardize legal proceedings.
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"We would like to impress upon the family members of the victim that if they start making statements in public or on media platforms, they should instead get their version recorded before the investigating agency so that no prejudice or adverse impact is caused on the ongoing investigation," noted the Supreme Court Bench in its order.
The judiciary also extended this warning to news outlets regarding individuals connected to the ongoing criminal case.
"They may not unnecessarily prejudge one or the other issue," said the Supreme Court Bench.
Prior to this development, the National Commission for Women had taken suo motu cognisance of the death, labeling it suspicious and demanding an action taken report from local authorities.
Meanwhile, the deceased's father had expressed the severe hardships his daughter faced prior to her passing.
"She was being tortured continuously," said Navnidhi Sharma, father of the deceased.
The enforcement actions intensified when local police arrested Samarth Singh in Jabalpur on Friday after a 10-day pursuit, and a Bhopal court subsequently remanded him to police custody for seven days.
Amid the legal developments, Sharma's body was cremated at the Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat on Sunday evening after a second autopsy was completed at 3:40 p.
m. by a four-member team from AIIMS Delhi, following approvals from the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
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The second post-mortem was explicitly requested by the family, who initially refused to receive the body, to address unexamined blunt force injuries and missing radiological evaluations of the neck and cervical structures.
