A Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, has taken suo motu cognisance of the death of Noida resident Twisha Sharma, whose family has accused her husband and in-laws in Bhopal of being responsible for her death.
The apex court has scheduled the matter for hearing on May 25. Alongside Chief Justice Kant, the bench will comprise Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi.
The case has been registered under the title, "Alleged institutional bias and procedural discrepancies in the unnatural death of a young woman at her matrimonial home." The court is expected to examine allegations of procedural lapses and institutional bias surrounding the investigation into Twisha Sharma's death.
Earlier on May 22, Twisha Sharma’s husband, Samarth Singh, was taken into custody by the Madhya Pradesh Police after surrendering before a court in Jabalpur, nearly 10 days after the 33-year-old was found dead at her matrimonial home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area.
Confirming the development, Bhopal CP Sanjay Kumar said, "Yes, he (accused Samarth Singh) has been taken into custody, and our police team is handling the entire process. We have to produce him before the court within 24 hours, so we will do so within the stipulated time."
In a separate development, the Bar Council of India (BCI) suspended Singh from practising law with immediate effect over allegations connected to the death of his wife, which occurred just months after their marriage. The BCI noted that an FIR had been registered against him under charges including dowry death, cruelty and related offences. It also observed that Singh was allegedly evading investigators and failing to cooperate with the probe.
Calling the allegations serious, the council said the case had the potential to undermine the dignity and public image of the legal profession.
