NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stressed the need for a fair and impartial probe into the Twisha Sharma death case while cautioning all sides against making public statements that could influence the investigation.Hearing the suo motu matter concerning the alleged procedural lapses in the case, Chief Justice Surya Kant observed that “whatever unfortunate incident has taken place, it must be fairly, independently and impartially investigated,” while noting that “both sides are also going to the media.” The bench reiterated that the matter has already been transferred to the CBI.Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the accused, complained that statements recorded under Section 161 of the CrPC were leaked to the press immediately after being recorded. “My 161 statements were in the papers next day,” he told the court.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, alleged that the accused’s mother, a former district judge, had been “hopping from channel to channel almost maligning the deceased.” At the same time, Mehta argued that media scrutiny had also brought several aspects of the case into public notice and said the matter should “not be sensationalised.”Chief Justice Kant responded that the court’s “only concern is not to make statements,” adding that the case itself had come to the court’s notice through media reports. “It is our request that whatever statement you want to make, please make it before the authority, that is the investigating agency,” the CJI said, while urging the media not to reduce the grief of the victim’s family into “sound bytes.”Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the victim’s family, alleged procedural irregularities in the initial investigation, including a three-day delay in registration of the FIR and failure to preserve evidence. He also questioned why the accused’s mother was “producing her own CDRs” before investigators.The bench, however, repeatedly urged restraint from all parties. “We are requesting all of you not to make premature statements,” the Chief Justice said.During the hearing, Solicitor General Mehta also made a broader observation on matrimonial disputes, stating, “Without attributing motives to either side, the moral of the story is clear that it is better to have a divorced daughter than a dead one.”The legal proceedings in the Twisha Sharma death case have now reached the Supreme Court, which has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter under the title, In Re Alleged Institutional Bias and Procedural Discrepancies in the Unnatural Death of a Young Woman at Matrimonial Home.A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant is hearing the case amid allegations by the victim’s family of procedural lapses and institutional bias in the initial investigation into the 26-year-old actor-model’s death in Bhopal earlier this month.Speaking after the cremation on Sunday, Twisha’s father Navnidhi Sharma welcomed the apex court’s intervention, describing it as a crucial step toward ensuring accountability in the case. “We do not know how we will live without her. I thank everyone who supported us. She will get justice. This case will become an example and restore people’s faith in the judicial process. I thank the Supreme Court for taking suo motu cognisance of the matter,” he said.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.
