Twisha Sharma death case: Who are her advocate husband & ex-judge mother-in-law?

The Supreme Court has called on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the investigation into the “unnatural death” of Twisha Sharma, who was found dead at her matrimonial home in Bhopal on May 12. The victim’s family has accused her in-laws of dowry harassment and physical cruelty.

The alleged dowry death case has gained national limelight following allegations that Twisha’s in-laws tried to influence the case and mislead the probe. Her lawyer husband, Samarth Singh, who was on the run for 10 days, surrendered last week. His mother, Giribala Singh, is also an accused in the case.

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But who are they? Let's take a look.

Who is Samarth Singh?

Samarth Singh, a lawyer in Bhopal, tied the knot with model and actor Twisha Sharma, who hailed from Greater Noida, last December.

Samarth is an independent litigator who worked as a legal advisor for the Madhya Pradesh government, according to an unverified profile on LinkedIn.

Samarth is also a graduate of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru.

“My practice spans trial and appellate work in the courts at Bhopal, Jabalpur and Indore. I have extensive experience in service law, criminal defence and consumer protection,” the profile read.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) suspended his licence for legal practice with immediate effect on Friday (May 22) over allegations linked to his wife’s death.

WhatsApp chats between Twisha and her family have revealed that she felt "trapped" in her marriage. "My life is a living hell," one message read.

Samarth attempted to surrender in a Jabalpur court on Friday after withdrawing his anticipatory bail plea from the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He was arrested by the police after the Jabalpur court asked him to surrender before a court in Bhopal instead.

Before his arrest, Anurag Srivastava, counsel for Twisha’s father Navnidhi Sharma, told NDTV that the accused husband was given “VIP treatment” inside the district court premises.

He claimed that Samarth was sitting inside Courtroom No 32, the courtroom of the District and Sessions Judge, with the doors shut before he appeared before the media, wearing a cap, mask and sunglasses.

“Under what authority was he allowed to sit in that room?” Srivastava asked. He alleged, “This clearly shows the extent to which the judiciary is siding with him. He had come here to surrender, but by that time all the judges had already left. He was sitting inside the District Judge's chamber with the door locked. When I insisted that the door be opened, he fled from there and sat in the Bar Association's chamber.”

Samarth, who was sent to a seven-day police custody on Saturday, has been "not cooperating" with investigators, sources have told NDTV. He also could not reply to several questions asked by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), while investigators were left unconvinced by some of his answers.

Who is Giribala Singh?

Giribala Singh, Samarth Singh’s mother, has been facing online backlash for objectionable remarks on her dead daughter-in-law. Appearing before the media, she has alleged that Twisha had mental health issues and was a drug addict.

Singh was a district court judge in Madhya Pradesh. She is currently serving as chairperson of the Bhopal Consumer Court.

The family of Twisha, who died just five months after her marriage to Samarth, has accused her husband and mother-in-law of torture over dowry demands. Her family had refused to cremate her body and sought a second post-mortem, which took place on Sunday. Her last rites were held later in the day.

Earlier, a court in Bhopal had granted anticipatory bail to Giribala Singh but rejected Samarth's bail plea.

Last week, the Madhya Pradesh government asked the High Court to cancel the anticipatory bail of Singh, alleging that she tampered with evidence and leaked selected CCTV footage to social media.

In its petition filed before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the state government accused Singh of separately retaining copies of the CCTV footage and later leaking “selected small clips” on social media “in a manner to tamper prosecution evidence and obstruct investigation”, reported Indian Express. 

“For that, during the investigation, police authorities had seized CCTV footage of the house of the respondent on 13.05.2026, which is part of the investigation, but the respondent, who had already saved CCTV footage with herself, strategically in a manner to tamper with prosecution evidence and obstruct investigation, leaked selected small clips of CCTV footage on social media,” the plea alleged.

The state has also accused Singh of not cooperating in the investigation.

The petition noted that the police outpost at Laharpur under Katara Hills Police Station was located “only about 100 meters from her house”, yet Singh and her son allegedly took Twisha directly to AIIMS Bhopal without first informing the police.

According to the government, this decision directly led to “tampering with the crime scene, as well as other evidence”.

The state also highlighted allegations that Singh and her son forced Twisha to terminate a one-month pregnancy shortly before her death. “Respondent and Samarth Singh had pressured the deceased to abort the one-month pregnancy very recently, in the first week of May, 2026,” the petition alleged.

SC takes suo motu cognisance in Twisha Sharma's death case

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would ensure a fair, independent, and impartial CBI probe into the death of Twisha Sharma.

The bench also asked the media to exercise restraint while reporting on the case.

"We are slightly in pain because of some of the actions. We will request our media friends to not go for the statements of the victim's family or the other family. Let the things move as per law and procedure," the bench said, adding that a narrative should be avoided.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the top court that the CBI would take over the probe.

He said the case was a message for all parents that it is "better to have a divorced daughter than face such an unfortunate incident."

The bench urged both the victim and the accused's families to place their versions before the investigating agency, instead of the media, to ensure the ongoing probe is not prejudiced or adversely affected.

"We also request the media to avoid recording statements of persons who are likely to be potential witnesses, as it may unnecessarily impact the outcomes on certain issues which are to be investigated," it said.

"We also request the public that they should refrain from speculation and to have trust and faith in one of the premier investigating agencies. We are sure that in due course of time it will take the investigation to a conclusion," the apex court said.

With inputs from agencies