SC to hear Twisha Sharma case today; family says ‘forced to compromise on Hindu rituals’

The Supreme Court is set to hear a suo motu case concerning the death of actor-model Twisha Sharma on Monday. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi will hear the case.

The case is listed under the title 'Alleged institutional bias and procedural discrepancies in the unnatural death of a young girl at her matrimonial home'.

Twisha Sharma's family had alleged that her lawyer husband, Samarth, and her in-laws tried to mislead the investigation and influence the case.

The top court took the suo motu case amid mounting allegations of institutional bias and possible lapses in the investigation. 

The 32-year-old actor-model, who was found hanging at her marital home on May 12, had been married to Samarth for just five months. Her family alleges she was a victim of dowry harassment. 

Nearly two weeks after the death, her body was cremated after a second autopsy was conducted on Sunday following a Madhya Pradesh high court order. Sharma's family had refused to receive her body until a second post-mortem was conducted to examine the concerns that were not addressed in the first autopsy.

Following the cremation, the family stated they were forced to compromise on Hindu rituals due to delays caused by post-mortem and forensic procedures.

Detailing the agony of their prolonged wait in a press statement, the Sharma family highlighted that traditional Hindu customs mandate all post-death rituals be completed within 13 days.

According to officials, viscera and tissue samples have been preserved and sent to Delhi for detailed toxicology and histopathology analysis.

Medical experts are also examining multiple potential causes of death—including hanging, trauma, and poisoning—while comparing their findings with the initial autopsy report.