A five-member AIIMS medical board led by Dr Sudhir Gupta concluded that former actor-model Twisha Sharma died by suicide, finding no evidence of physical assault.
The CBI filed a 636-page chargesheet in a Bhopal court against Sharma's husband Samarth Singh and mother-in-law Giribala Singh for cruelty and abetment of suicide.
Forensic analysis identified the ligature material used in the hanging as a gymnastics belt with a metal ring, resolving previous autopsy disputes.
Twisha Sharma died by suicide. A five-member AIIMS medical board reached this conclusion, finding no signs of physical struggle or assault on the former actor-model's body, News18 reported. The panel delivered its 11-page forensic findings to the CBI in a sealed envelope on July 10, acting on directives from the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Sharma was found dead at her marital home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on the night of May 12. The Madhya Pradesh High Court had ordered the second autopsy on May 22 under Writ Petition No. 19119 of 2026 to address her family's allegations of lapses in the first autopsy.
"The medical board deliberated very minutely on the details of the case from all possible angles, took into consideration all available national and international journals for almost one month and has given a detailed opinion with scientific justification. It is a crystal-clear opinion for the CBI and for the judiciary in the interest of truth and justice," Dr Sudhir Gupta, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at AIIMS, said in remarks.
Autopsy and Findings
The AIIMS board resolved the dispute over the ligature material used in the hanging. It identified the material as a gymnastics belt with a metal ring.
"The cause of death is asphyxia as a result of ante-mortem hanging which is suicidal in manner produced by the examined ligature material, the gymnastic belt with a ring," the CBI chargesheet stated.
The CBI filed a 636-page chargesheet before the special court in Bhopal. The filing contains a 31-page core document with hundreds of pages of annexures, as reported by PTI. The chargesheet names Sharma's husband Samarth Singh, a lawyer, and her mother-in-law Giribala Singh, a former district judge, as accused.
The CBI arrested both under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cruelty, abetment of suicide and common intention. Investigators sent Sharma's iPhone and DVR data to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and the DFSS in New Delhi for forensic examination. "The extraction may reveal incriminating material pertaining to the case against the accused...," the chargesheet stated. The probe into alleged dowry demands remains open.
Cruelty and Harassment
Sharma married Samarth in December 2025 after meeting him on a dating website. She had worked in South Indian films and was pursuing an MBA. Her maternal family alleged that she was murdered, accusing her in-laws of mental abuse, physical violence and dowry-related torture. They claimed the in-laws were dissatisfied with the dowry given at the time of her December 9 marriage.
The CBI alleged that Sharma was subjected to sustained psychological and mental cruelty during her six-month marriage. Tensions escalated over her finances. The CBI stated that Samarth pressured her to transfer around Rs 20 lakh from her demat account into a joint account for investment in Chinese stock markets. Sharma refused, saying the money belonged to her father.
The harassment continued while Sharma cared for her father after he suffered a heart attack in March 2026. Her professional setbacks were also used against her. Samarth allegedly remarked that she had lost her job because she "did not even know how to speak English".
Tensions further escalated over an unplanned pregnancy in April 2026. Sharma was uncertain about continuing the pregnancy due to the abuse, while Samarth and his mother pressured her to continue. After the abortion, Samarth questioned the child's paternity.
A forensic psychological assessment of her diaries, chats and CCTV footage indicated that Sharma faced hopelessness, sustained psychological harm and an absence of support. On May 9, Sharma messaged her sister-in-law Rashi Abrol: "He (Samarth Singh) has crossed all the limits and he asked her whether it was his child or someone else’s, is that why I aborted it. I am feeling suffocated. I swear I will be able to find courage to finish myself completely...I will find a way to vanish."
At 9.20pm, shortly before her death, Sharma sent a final message to her sister-in-law: "Ask him (Samarth Singh) to collect left over of his wife. But tomorrow. Let me die in peace right now."
Her brother, Ashish Sharma, told reporters that the chargesheet detailed the cruelty. "All of that made it clear that she was left with no option," he said
