Twisha Sharma death case: SC stays trial, seeks CBI response on transfer plea
SC has paused trial proceedings in the Bhopal death case and asked the CBI to respond to a plea by Twisha Sharma’s father seeking to transfer the trial to Delhi
The Supreme Court on Friday (October 16) stayed the trial in the Twisha Sharma death case and asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to respond to her father’s plea to move the trial to Delhi.
Sharma was found hanging at her matrimonial home in Bhopal five months after she married lawyer Samarth Singh.
The order came from a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. “While trial proceedings on merits shall remain stayed, the bail applications filed by respondent 2 and 3 to be decided within two weeks,” the Court ordered, as quoted by the Bar and Bench.
Family alleges domestic violence, dowry harassment
Sharma, who lived in Noida, met Singh on a dating app and they later got married. On May 12 she was found dead at their home in Bhopal.
Her family accused Singh and his relatives of domestic violence and of harassing her over dowry demands, and an FIR was registered at Katara Hills police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Dowry Prohibition Act.
Also Read: Twisha death case: CBI chargesheets husband, mother-in-law
Singh’s mother, Giribala Singh, a former president of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Madhya Pradesh, got anticipatory bail from a sessions court.
High Court cancels anticipatory bail
The state government and Sharma’s family challenged that order, and the Madhya Pradesh High Court cancelled the relief.
The High Court also directed a second post-mortem by a team of doctors from AIIMS Delhi, which the family had asked for to establish the cause of death.
Also Read: Twisha Sharma death: CBI arrests ex-judge mother-in-law Giribala Singh
The CBI arrested Giribala Singh and Samarth Singh. Their custody with the agency ended on June 2, and a Bhopal court sent both to judicial custody. Their bail applications are pending.