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The Central Bureau of Investigation has submitted a nearly 600-page chargesheet to a special court in Bhopal that details allegations of sustained mental cruelty against Twisha Sharma by her husband Samarth Singh and mother-in-law Giribala Singh. According to the document the psychological harm inflicted on the 33-year-old former actor and model contributed to her decision to end her life on May 12, 2026. The charges include abetment to suicide and cruelty under relevant sections of the law while the agency has left open further investigation into claims of dowry harassment.
The Hindustan Times reported that the chargesheet accuses Samarth a lawyer and Giribala a retired district judge of subjecting Twisha to continuous mental torture including the use of derogatory language. It further states that after Twisha became pregnant in April the in-laws questioned the paternity of the child and allegedly forced her to undergo an abortion in early May. Twisha’s family has maintained that the death was a murder linked to unmet dowry demands rather than suicide and the case has been widely described as “Husband and mother-in-law charged over Indian bride’s death” in media coverage.
The in-laws have rejected all accusations with Giribala Singh describing claims of dowry demands as baseless and suggesting Twisha had underlying mental health conditions that led to her suicide. Samarth Singh surrendered to authorities after initially being untraceable and both have been held in judicial custody since their arrests by the CBI in May 2026. A lawyer representing the accused told reporters that no evidence supports dowry harassment while the family’s counsel noted the chargesheet acknowledges the role of mental cruelty.
Twisha Sharma who was crowned Miss Pune in 2012 had built a career appearing in advertisements acting in a Telugu film and working in marketing before her marriage. She connected with Samarth Singh through a dating application in early 2025 and the couple wed in December that year according to details outlined in the chargesheet. The case has generated widespread media coverage across India given the prominence of the individuals involved and the conflicting narratives presented by the two families.
National Crime Records Bureau figures show India recorded 5,737 dowry deaths in 2024 reflecting a gradual decline from 7,634 cases in 2015 yet still indicating that a woman dies roughly every 90 minutes from such related violence.[[1]](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/dowry-deaths-falling-in-india-but-a-woman-still-dies-every-90-minutes-11529721) The Twisha Sharma case has drawn fresh attention to the persistence of dowry-related issues and domestic cruelty despite legal prohibitions according to multiple outlets covering crime trends. New Indian Express accounts of the chargesheet filing indicate that forensic and digital evidence played a central role in the CBI’s conclusions.
The CBI took over the investigation following initial local police probes and has recreated parts of the scene as part of its evidence gathering according to reports from several Indian news organisations. Both accused remain in custody as the court processes the chargesheet and prepares for potential trial proceedings in the coming months. Additional witness statements continue to be reviewed as the high-profile matter advances through the judicial system.
