The Supreme Court on Monday said it was “pained” by the narrative suggesting that the judiciary was delaying or undermining a fair investigation into the death of former model-actor Twisha Sharma, as it noted that the probe would now be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
During the hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant referred to an India Today report published on May 18 while explaining the background that led to the court taking suo motu cognisance of the matter. “A news article published by India Today on May 18 raised questions of institutional bias and discrepancies,” the CJI observed.
“The reason that was reported for the alleged lack of impartiality was that the husband of the deceased is a practising lawyer and the mother is a former district judge. The question was whether undue influence can be exercised in investigation,” the bench said.
“A narrative was also created that fair investigation was denied due to involvement of judiciary. That is why suo motu proceedings were initiated,” the CJI added.
The Supreme Court also noted that, in the meantime, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had directed a second post-mortem examination in the case.
TOP COURT SAYS IT DOES NOT WANT TO PRE-JUDGE PROBE
Hearing the matter, the bench said the only issue requiring consideration at present was the transfer of the investigation to the CBI.
The court said Twisha Sharma had suffered an “unfortunate unnatural death” and acknowledged the emotional trauma faced by her family. “It’s a case of unnatural death,” the bench observed.
“The kind of agony it causes to family and near and dear ones…we all have sympathy. But there is a procedure under law,” the court said.
The Chief Justice also stressed that the court did not want to pre-judge issues that were yet to be investigated and urged the public to trust the CBI. “We request people to have faith in the premier investigation agency,” the CJI said.
The court said Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had assured the bench that he would immediately take up the matter with the authorities to ensure that the CBI takes over the probe.
The Supreme Court clarified that it was not expressing any opinion on the allegations made by either side.
“While making these observations, it is clarified that we have not expressed any opinion on any of the allegations or otherwise and it is entirely on the investigating agency to look into the different aspects,” the bench said.
The court added that it did not see the need to pass further directions at this stage since the state government had already proposed transfer of the probe.
SC ASKS FAMILY, ACCUSED TO AVOID MEDIA STATEMENTS
The top court strongly advised both the victim’s family and the accused side against making statements in public or before media platforms.
“We would like to impress upon the family members of the victim as well as the accused that instead of making statements in public or before media platforms, they should get their versions recorded before the investigating agency so that no prejudice or adverse impact is had on the ongoing investigation,” the court said.
The bench also requested the media and public to refrain from speculation surrounding the case.
During the hearing, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Twisha Sharma’s family, said the family was not trying to sensationalise the issue. “We are not here to sensationalise the matter,” he said.
The Supreme Court, however, noted that the family had earlier raised concerns about not receiving a fair investigation, but added that the state had responded by transferring the probe.
“You had concern that some things were here and there, and you were not getting a fair trial. State immediately acted, transferred probe,” the bench told the family’s counsel.
BETTER TO HAVE DIVORCED DAUGHTER THAN DEAD ONE: GOVT
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state, told the court that one thing was clear — the young woman had lost her life, whether by suicide or through criminal circumstances. “One thing is clear, the girl lost her life, by suicide or by criminal manner,” Mehta said.
In an emotional remark during the hearing, the Solicitor General said, “For parents, it is better to have a divorced daughter than a dead one.”
– Ends
Published By:
Karishma Saurabh Kalita
Published On:
May 25, 2026 11:10 IST
