Dowry death: Bhopal court seeks police diary as family seeks 2nd autopsy

A local court on Tuesday summoned the police diary related to the case of Twisha Sharma, the Noida woman who was allegedly harassed for dowry and died last week, following a plea moved by her family seeking a second post-mortem examination.

Judicial Magistrate First Class Anudita Gupta scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to go through the police diary and examine the investigation, said advocate Ankur Pandey, a lawyer representing the deceased's family.

In their application, Twisha's family pointed out flaws in the investigation, stating that the FIR was registered three days after she was found dead, Pandey told PTI.

The short post-mortem examination report said that the investigators did not provide the ''ligature'' used in the hanging, the plea said.

The family sought a second post-mortem examination at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, advocate Pandey said. Twisha's parents apprehended that as her mother-in-law and retired additional district judge Giribala Singh's sister is a Bhopal-based surgeon, she could influence the second autopsy if it was conducted at a city hospital, he said.

The surgeon was seen near AIIMS, Bhopal when Twisha's first post-mortem examination took place, Pandey claimed.

Twisha Sharma (33) was found dead on the night of May 12 at her marital home in Bhopal's Katara Hills area. Police registered an FIR, charging her husband, advocate Samarth Singh, and her mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, with dowry death and harassment.

Police have announced a cash reward of Rs 10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the husband, who has been absconding.

Earlier, advocate Anurag Shrivastava, another lawyer representing the deceased's family, had said that they had moved an application for a second post-mortem examination.

Twisha's family has been seeking a second post-mortem, claiming that their daughter had injuries on her body that were not reflected in the initial report.

During a press conference on Monday, Giribala Singh had said that she had visited the mortuary, where the woman's family allegedly hounded her.

The family issued a statement on Monday, saying that despite pressure and adversity, they continue to believe in the values of duty, courage, and justice for which the nation stands.

The statement said if the accused persons truly believe in complete transparency and innocence, then why is there hesitation or silence regarding an independent second medical examination by a premier institution like AIIMS Delhi.

''A grieving family that has already lost its daughter is only asking for truth, scientific clarity, and an investigation free from doubt. When a young woman is no longer alive to speak for herself, every unanswered question deepens the pain of the family and weakens public confidence in the process,'' the statement read.

''An independent review would not harm the innocent -- it would only strengthen faith in justice and ensure that no shadow of doubt remains over the investigation,'' it said, questioning why Giribala Singh doesn't support the second post-mortem at AIIMS Delhi if she is innocent.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)