Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, made a striking remark before the Supreme Court on Monday in the Twisha Sharma dowry death case, saying it was better to have a divorced daughter than to face such an unfortunate incident.
The Supreme Court, which had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter on May 23, registered the case as concerning "alleged institutional bias and procedural discrepancies in the unnatural death of a young girl at her matrimonial home".
What Happened In Court
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, heard the matter, news agency PTI reported.
The bench stressed that an unfortunate incident had taken place and underlined the need for a fair and impartial probe. It also noted the solicitor general's assurance that a decision regarding a CBI investigation would be taken shortly, PTI reported.
"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 court said in its order, as reported by The Times Of India.
During the hearing, the court repeatedly expressed concern over media commentary and competing public narratives surrounding the case, The Times Of India reported.
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The CJI said the court was "slightly at pain because of some of the actions" and stressed that the investigation must proceed "fairly, independently and impartially".
The SG replied that significant progress in the case had been driven by media coverage, telling the court that it was due to media intervention that a lot had been achieved so far, PTI reported.
The Supreme Court also restrained family members of both victim and accused, potential witnesses and the accused from giving statements to the media, before disposing of its suo motu case and leaving parties at liberty to seek legal remedies before the appropriate forum.
Twisha's Last Rites Performed
Twisha Sharma's last rites were performed at a crematorium in Bhopal by her brother, Major Harshit Sharma, after her mortal remains were handed over to the family following a second autopsy conducted by a medical board from AIIMS Delhi.
The family had earlier refused to accept the body and demanded an independent post-mortem examination, alleging inconsistencies in the initial autopsy and raising questions over the circumstances surrounding her death at her matrimonial home.
Twisha, who hails from Noida, was found hanging at her matrimonial home in Katara Hills, Bhopal, on May 12.
Her family has accused her mother-in-law, retired judge Giribala Singh, of using her influence to obstruct and delay action in the case — allegations that have sparked widespread public outrage. Twisha's husband Samarth Singh, who had been absconding for 10 days, was subsequently arrested and brought to Bhopal, where a court remanded him to seven-day police custody.
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