Bhopal/New Delhi, May 18 (IANS). A big controversy has arisen after the death of 33 year old Twisha Sharma in Bhopal. The demand for investigation into dowry harassment, pressure from influential family and under the supervision of the Supreme Court has intensified. The matter became more serious when the local court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of her husband, advocate Samarth Singh.
Twisha Sharma, a resident of Noida, had worked as an actor and model before marriage. Later she was working in a private company in Delhi. She was married to Samarth Singh on 9 December 2025. About six months after the marriage, he died on the night of 12 May at his in-laws’ house in Katara Hills, Bhopal.
In this case, an FIR has been registered against Samarth Singh and his mother, retired judge Giribala Singh, under sections of dowry death, dowry harassment, Indian Justice Code (BNS) and Dowry Prohibition Act. Additional Sessions Judge Pallavi Dwivedi on Monday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Samarth Singh. The court said that the death had occurred under ‘unusual circumstances’ within six months of the marriage and there were serious allegations against the accused.
The court said that the statements of the witnesses, the FIR and the WhatsApp chats presented mainly point towards Samarth Singh. The court considered that considering the state of the investigation and the seriousness of the allegations, it would not be appropriate to grant anticipatory bail. According to the police, Samarth Singh is absconding since the incident. Bhopal Police has announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for those who help in his arrest. His mobile phones are switched off and several police teams are searching for him.
Whereas, Giribala Singh is a retired judge of Bhopal District Court and is currently the head of Bhopal Consumer Court. He has already got anticipatory bail.
This case is much discussed because of the influential family of the accused. Twisha’s father Navnidhi Sharma has alleged that the investigation is being affected due to the family’s connections with the judiciary, police and medical administration. He says that senior officers are trying to protect the accused and his family faced problems even in registering the FIR.
Navnidhi Sharma has now sought intervention from the Governor of Madhya Pradesh. He demanded that Giribala Singh be removed or suspended from his post until the investigation is completed. He said that his continuing in the post could affect the investigating officer, witnesses and the forensic process. The petition has demanded a fair and transparent investigation citing Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
The biggest controversy in the case is regarding the circumstances of Twisha’s death. The defense claimed in the court that on May 12, Twisha had first gone to the beauty parlor and later went out for a walk. After returning home, the family found him hanging from an iron rod on the ceiling with the help of an exercise band. The family says that efforts were made to save him and he was later taken to AIIMS Bhopal.
However, Twisha’s family has termed this claim as completely false. They allege that Twisha was continuously tortured mentally and physically for dowry. The family also alleges that they were pressurized to get an abortion. It is also mentioned in the court record that the accused raised questions about the father of the child in their womb and beat them up several times.
The prosecution also cited in the court some WhatsApp messages which Twisha had allegedly sent to her mother a few days before her death. In a message dated May 9, she had written, “Mother, please come and pick me up from here tomorrow.” In another message, she described her life as hell and said that her husband was not talking to her. The defense side has denied all these allegations and said that the WhatsApp messages have been tampered with and are not reliable.
Controversy has also increased regarding the post mortem report. The initial report states that the cause of death was hanging, but it also states that there were multiple injury marks on the body. Twisha’s family has refused to accept the body and has demanded re-postmortem at AIIMS Delhi. The family alleges that the local administration cannot conduct a fair investigation. Meanwhile, Bhopal Police has formed a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the leadership of ACP Rajneesh Kashyap to investigate the allegations of dowry harassment, assault and destruction of evidence.
–IANS
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