Twisha Sharma case: Husband surrenders as probe deepens into death of former India beauty queen

Samarth Singh, the husband of Twisha Sharma, surrendered before a court in Jabalpur on Friday and was subsequently taken into police custody in connection with the 33-year-old woman’s death, a case that has triggered allegations of dowry harassment, demands for a fresh autopsy and calls for a central investigation.

Samarth had been absconding for around 10 days after Twisha was declared dead at AIIMS Bhopal on the night of May 12. Police said he would now be questioned about the circumstances surrounding her death, his movements after the incident and allegations levelled by the victim’s family.

Twisha, a resident of Noida, had married Bhopal-based Samarth Singh in December 2025. Following her death at home, her family accused her husband and in-laws of mental torture and dowry harassment, prompting police to register a case and form a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Retired judge Giribala Singh, Twisha’s mother-in-law, has also been named as a co-accused in the FIR filed at Katara Hills police station in Bhopal.

Samarth arrived at the Jabalpur court with his legal team seeking to surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate. However, lawyers representing Twisha’s family argued that he should have surrendered before the investigating officer or trial court in Bhopal, where the case is being investigated.

The development came on the same day the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered a second autopsy of Twisha Sharma’s body to be conducted by a team of forensic experts from AIIMS Delhi. The court passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Twisha’s family challenging a lower court’s refusal to permit a fresh post-mortem.

The family alleged procedural lapses and inconsistencies in the first autopsy report and sought an independent medical examination.

The High Court directed authorities to preserve all medical and forensic evidence connected to the case, including the original post-mortem report, photographs, videography and inquest documents, and hand them over to the AIIMS Delhi team.

During Friday’s hearing, the High Court also issued notices on petitions filed both by the Madhya Pradesh government and Twisha’s father challenging the anticipatory bail granted to Giribala Singh by a lower court. The next hearing has been scheduled for May 25.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has formally recommended a CBI investigation into the case and granted consent for the central agency to take over the probe. The process of transferring the investigation is currently underway.

Reacting to the latest developments, Twisha’s brother, Major Harshit Sharma, described the move towards a CBI probe as “the first step towards a fair investigation”.

“This is a small victory but the battle is still ongoing,” he said, adding that the family’s demand for a second post-mortem had finally been accepted.

He also questioned why Samarth had remained absconding for days if he had “nothing to hide”.

The case has drawn widespread attention on social media and in legal circles, particularly because one of the accused is a retired judge and because of the family’s repeated allegations that the initial investigation lacked transparency.

- with inputs from IANS and ANI