Noida model Twisha Sharma death case: HC permits second autopsy, husband appears in court
Twisha's father had petitioned the high court after a lower court refused his request for a second autopsy, alleging discrepancies in the initial report.
Twisha's father had petitioned the high court after a lower court refused his request for a second autopsy, alleging discrepancies in the initial report.
Twisha's father had petitioned the high court after a lower court refused his request for a second autopsy, alleging discrepancies in the initial report.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday permitted a second postmortem of Twisha Sharma, the Noida-based model-turned-actor who allegedly died following prolonged dowry harassment, her family members said.
The order came on a petition filed by Twisha’s father, Navnidhi Sharma, after a lower court had earlier rejected the family’s plea seeking a second autopsy.
Speaking to PTI, the family’s lawyer Ankur Pandey said the high court directed the state government to arrange for a team of doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to be flown to Bhopal to conduct the procedure.
Twisha Sharma, 33, was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on May 12. Her family alleged that continuous dowry harassment by her in-laws drove her to death, while the accused family has claimed she was addicted to drugs.
Although the first postmortem was conducted at AIIMS Bhopal, Twisha’s family demanded a second autopsy citing alleged discrepancies in the initial report.
Meanwhile, Twisha’s husband Samarth Singh, who had been absconding, reached the Jabalpur district court on Friday evening to surrender, according to his lawyer Mrigendra Singh. The development came nearly an hour after Singh withdrew his anticipatory bail plea from the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
His counsel Jaydeep Kaurav said the application was withdrawn from the bench of Justice Avanindra Kumar Singh, leaving Samarth Singh with no option but to surrender.
Singh’s mother, Giribala Singh — a retired district and sessions judge and current chairperson of the Bhopal Consumer Court — had earlier secured anticipatory bail from a Bhopal court. She is also named in the FIR registered in connection with Twisha’s death.
In another major development, the Madhya Pradesh government on Friday proposed transferring the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
According to a notification issued by Home Department Secretary Krishnaveni Desavatu, the state government recommended that the case registered at Katara Hills Police Station under Sections 80(2), 85 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, be handed over to the CBI for investigation.
Police had earlier registered an FIR against Samarth Singh and his mother under provisions related to dowry death and cruelty. Authorities had also announced a cash reward of Rs 30,000 for information leading to Samarth Singh’s arrest and moved the court seeking cancellation of his passport.