A retired district judge and her advocate son have been booked in Bhopal in connection with the alleged dowry death of a 31-year-old woman from Noida, whose postmortem report reportedly revealed multiple antemortem injuries.
The woman, identified as Twisha Sharma, was found hanging at her marital home in the Katara Hills area on the night of May 12, police said.
According to investigators, Sharma had met the accused through a dating app in 2024 before marrying in December 2025.
Police said the accused husband and his mother took Sharma to a hospital after the incident, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Hospital authorities informed police around 11 pm.
Family Alleges Dowry Harassment and Murder
Sharma’s family has accused her husband and mother-in-law of dowry harassment, physical assault and murder.
Relatives claimed she had spoken to them over the phone until around 10 pm on the night of her death and had expressed a desire to leave Bhopal and return to Noida.
Following protests by family members and allegations of police inaction, an FIR was eventually registered early Friday morning under provisions related to dowry death, cruelty by husband or relatives, and the Dowry Prohibition Act.
Police booked retired judge Giribala Singh and her son Samarth Singh under Sections 80, 85 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
Section 80, which deals with dowry death, carries punishment ranging from seven years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment.
Sharma’s brother, an Indian Army major, also reportedly approached senior officials seeking intervention over delays in filing the FIR.
Court Grants Anticipatory Bail to Retired Judge
Later on Friday, a Bhopal court granted anticipatory bail to the retired judge.
Her lawyer said the hearing on her son’s anticipatory bail plea is scheduled for Monday.
Police officials said efforts are continuing to investigate the allegations and gather evidence in the case.
Postmortem Notes Multiple Antemortem Injuries
A postmortem examination conducted at AIIMS Bhopal concluded that the cause of death was “antemortem hanging by ligature”.
However, the autopsy report also noted “multiple antemortem injuries” on other parts of the body, describing them as simple injuries that could have been caused by blunt force.
The forensic report stated that blood and viscera samples preserved for toxicological examination ruled out intoxication as a contributing factor.
Investigators also preserved nail clippings for DNA analysis.
The report further mentioned that the ligature material used in the hanging was neither found at the scene nor submitted to forensic experts by the investigating officer for examination.
