New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Monday filed a charge sheet against a former district judge in Madhya Pradesh and her son, accusing them of subjecting Twisha Sharma to prolonged cruelty and harassment and abetting her suicide.
Sharma, an actor-model from Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida was married to Samarth Singh, the son of the judge Giribala Singh, and allegedly died by suicide at their residence in Bhopal’s Katara Hills. Days after public outrage her death and allegations from her family of dowry demands, torture and harassment, the Bhopal Police had booked the mother-son duo and arrested Twisha’s husband.
Later, on the Supreme Court’s order, the CBI took over the probe and arrested Giribala Singh as well.
“The investigation conducted so far has established that the arrested accused duo caused the deceased (Twisha) mental cruelty to such an extent that she presumed no other option than to end her life, and hence they have been charged under appropriate sections,” a CBI officer told ThePrint.
However, they suggested that investigations into allegations of demands for dowry and death due to refusal of dowry are still underway, and may be covered in the next charge sheet.
“We did not find any prosecutable evidence to suggest there were specific demands for dowry hence we have kept the investigation open,” a source said.
According to sources, both Giribala and Twisha’s husband Samarth have been charged under 80(2) (dowry death), 85 (husband or relative of husband subjecting her to cruelty), 108 (abetment to suicide), 3(5) (common intention) and sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
The chargesheet, spanning more than 600 pages documents the sequence of events starting from the wedding and alleged period of coercion and harassment of Tiwsha leading up to her death by suicide, sources further said.
According to court filings, Samarth and Twisha got marred on 9 December last year but she returned to her parents’ house in Noida in April this year due to some dispute at her in-law’s place. The dispute had arisen after Samarth’s family came to know about Twisha’s pregnancy in April this year.
During bail proceedings before the high court, Deputy Solicitor General of India Suyash Mohan Guru, appearing for the CBI, and Madhya Pradesh Advocate General Prashant Singh laid out the facts of the case, saying that Samarth Singh and Twisha Sharma got married on 9 December 2025, as per Hindu rituals, in which the father of the deceased gave dowry and gifts.
According to the probe, there are “incriminating” WhatsApp chats between Twisha’s mother-in-law Giribala Singh, husband Samarth and Twisha’s number, showing that they raised questions over her character. The CBI has reproduced extracts of those WhatsApp chats on 30 April, 7 May, 5 May, and 11 May to press the charges of subjecting Twisha to cruelty, sources further said.
Based on testimonies from her family, the agency found that Twisha returned to Bhopal on 30 April and days later, she asked her mother to take her away from Bhopal. She raised a similar alarm on 12 May this year, when she purportedly called her mother, reiterating her request to take her back home saying that Samarth was shouting at her.
The next day, Giribala had allegedly answered Twisha’s parents’ call, and that same night Twisha was found hanging in her husband’s house.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Twisha Sharma’s death became another public trial of a modern Indian woman