The Supreme Court stayed the Bhopal trial and sought responses on transferring it to Delhi. The order follows the victim's father's concerns about securing a fair trial in Madhya Pradesh.
Newdelhi,Oct 16, 2026 17:08 IST
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the trial in the unnatural death case of former model Twisha Sharma and issued notices to the CBI, her husband Samarth Singh and mother-in-law Giribala Singh, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The court acted on a petition filed by Twisha's father, Navnidhi Sharma, seeking the transfer of the proceedings from a Bhopal sessions court to a Delhi court over concerns that the case may not receive a fair trial in Madhya Pradesh.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi passed the order. Navnidhi Sharma cited the influence of Giribala Singh, a retired district judge, and said he was settled in the Delhi-NCR region.
Twisha, 33, was found hanging at her marital home in the Katara Hills area of Bhopal on May 12. Her family accused her in-laws of dowry harassment and abetment of suicide, while her in-laws claimed that she had a drug addiction.
The police registered a first information report against her husband and mother-in-law on charges of dowry harassment. Senior advocates Siddharth Luthra and Siddharth Aggarwal, along with advocate Abhijeet Sinha, appeared for Navnidhi Sharma.
The case is pending before a district and additional sessions judge in Bhopal. As of October 10, the proceedings had reached the stage of arguments on the framing of charges, according to Press Trust of India.
The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of Twisha's death in May amid concerns over the fairness of the investigation by the Madhya Pradesh Police. The investigation was subsequently transferred to the CBI.
On May 25, the Chief Justice of India-led bench said it was "pained" by the narrative that the judiciary was shielding the accused. It said it would ensure a fair, independent and impartial CBI investigation into the death of the former model-turned-actor.
The initial FIR was registered under Sections 80(2), 85 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to dowry death, cruelty by a husband or his relatives, and common intention, respectively. Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, which deal with giving or taking dowry and demanding dowry, were also invoked.
Following its investigation, the CBI dropped the dowry death charge against Giribala Singh and invoked Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with abetment of suicide. According to the prosecution, she allegedly abetted Twisha's suicide by taunting and harassing her.
Giribala Singh was granted anticipatory bail by the Bhopal trial court on May 15. The Madhya Pradesh government and Twisha's parents challenged the order before the High Court, which quashed her anticipatory bail on May 27.
The Supreme Court has now halted the Bhopal trial and sought responses from the CBI, Samarth Singh and Giribala Singh on Navnidhi Sharma's request to transfer the case to Delhi.
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