A court in Madhya Pradesh has rejected a petition requesting a second post-mortem examination at AIIMS Delhi following the death of Twisha Sharma, a retired judge's daughter-in-law who was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal earlier this month.
In dismissing the application for a fresh autopsy and forensic analysis, the court expressed serious concerns over the condition and preservation of the body, which has been kept in the AIIMS Bhopal mortuary since May 13. The court ordered the Katara Hills police to immediately ascertain whether any advanced medical institutions across Madhya Pradesh or its metropolitan cities possess ultra-low temperature preservation facilities. According to police reports, the body is currently being held at minus 4 degrees Celsius. However, hospital authorities have warned that long-term preservation requires a temperature of minus 80 degrees Celsius, a facility completely unavailable in Bhopal.
The court formally dismissed the request for the Delhi autopsy while simultaneously demanding an urgent report on whether suitable storage facilities exist anywhere else in the state.
Twisha Sharma was discovered dead in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on the night of May 12. Following her death, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against her husband, Samarth Singh, an advocate, and her mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, who is a retired judge. Both face charges of dowry death and harassment.
Twisha’s family, who reside in Noida, pushed for the second post-mortem examination in Delhi due to deep suspicions over the integrity of the local investigation. In their legal plea, they pointed out that the police took three days to file the FIR and alleged that investigators failed to provide the forensic team with the material reportedly used in the hanging during the initial autopsy. They had also successfully petitioned to have the body preserved until the court ruled on a second examination.
Earlier in the week, the Bhopal police had urged Twisha's father, Navnidhi Sharma, to take custody of his daughter's body, warning that decomposition was becoming an imminent risk. In a formal letter, the police reiterated that AIIMS Bhopal lacked the infrastructure for prolonged storage and, while they had no objection to a second autopsy in principle, the body had already been in the mortuary for far too long.
Allegations of harassment due to dowry, physical assault, and possible evidence destruction are being probed by the Special Investigation Team. In addition, Giribala Singh has refuted any allegations of harassment by the family of the victim. This incident has gained massive coverage in the region, mainly because of the queries raised by the family about the police investigation.
Also read: Twisha Sharma family seeks AIIMS Delhi re-postmortem
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