BHOPAL: The family of 33-year-old model and actress Twisha Sharma on Tuesday hit back at allegations made by her mother-in-law, retired judge Giribala Singh, accusing her of trying to defame the deceased while attempting to shield her absconding son, lawyer
Samarth Singh.
Twisha’s mother, Rekha Sharma, rejected claims that the family depended on her daughter financially.
“We never had any shortage of money. We never took money from her (Twisha), and my daughter never gave us money either. We always told her to focus on building a good career. We had no financial problems, and my daughter knew that very well."
"The only issue was that they were trying to stop her. What Giribala Singh has said, that they kept her for money, what more do they want from us? Giribala Singh can take all the money from us if they want, take however much they want, but give me my daughter back the way we had given her to them,” she said.
Twisha’s father, Navnidhi Sharma, alleged that the accusations levelled against his daughter were aimed at saving the accused.
“The culprit is simply trying to find ways to save herself. That is why she (Giribala Singh) is making different kinds of allegations. Because the girl is dead now, she thinks she can accuse her freely and shift the blame onto her. The girl died in their house. She was killed in their house.
"They should answer for that. As for these allegations, they should present them in court. Defaming a deceased girl publicly is itself a serious wrongdoing. And the fact that someone holding such a high judicial position is doing this is itself extremely shameful."
"A girl whom you brought into your house, she was dynamic, career-oriented, educated, and now you are making such accusations against her. Today they are calling it schizophrenia. I say, who could be more schizophrenic than you, that you took such a good daughter and killed her in your own house?” he said.
"These are wolves in sheep’s clothing", he added further.
The remarks came a day after a Bhopal sessions court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Samarth Singh, who remains absconding in the case.
Twisha was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on May 12, months after marrying Samarth in December 2025. According to investigators, the couple had met through a dating app in 2024.
Following the court order, Bhopal Police announced a cash reward of Rs 10,000 for information leading to Samarth’s arrest. However, the court had earlier granted anticipatory bail to Giribala Singh, who is also named in the FIR.
Misrod ACP Rajneesh Kashyap, who heads the Special Investigation Team (SIT), said efforts were underway to trace Samarth. During the hearing, his counsel opposed arrest by citing alleged mental health issues and substance abuse on Twisha’s part, arguments strongly contested by the woman’s family.
The court eventually rejected the pre-arrest bail application after hearing both sides.
Reacting to the development, Navnidhi Sharma said the rejection of bail was only a partial step towards justice.
“Rejection of the anticipatory bail plea was not our victory. Our victory will be when both are punished,” he told PTI Videos, while demanding the arrest of both Samarth and Giribala Singh.
He also expressed fears that the accused family could use its influence to seek relief from the Madhya Pradesh High Court if arrests were delayed.
The controversy deepened after details from Samarth’s bail plea surfaced publicly, alleging that Twisha was suffering from psychiatric illness and drug addiction. The plea claimed she would experience trembling in her hands and feet without narcotics.
To counter dowry allegations, Giribala Singh attached online transaction slips ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 50,000, claiming the family regularly supported Twisha financially.
Twisha’s family dismissed the allegations, describing her as a cheerful and ambitious woman whose condition deteriorated after marriage. Relatives alleged she lost around 15 kilograms due to sustained mental harassment.
Her cousin, Meenakshi, alleged that the situation worsened after Twisha lost her work-from-home job and became pregnant, claiming that her husband refused to acknowledge the child.
The investigation has also come under scrutiny after ACP Kashyap confirmed that the rope allegedly used in the hanging was not sent to AIIMS Bhopal during the post-mortem examination.
While the preliminary post-mortem report indicated death by hanging, Twisha’s family alleged there were multiple injury marks on her body and demanded a murder investigation.
“In the bail petition, allegations regarding Twisha being a drug addict have been mentioned, but we are strictly investigating the case according to the sections mentioned in the FIR,” Kashyap said.
The plea further claimed Twisha had been undergoing psychiatric treatment and counselling. Addressing reporters after the court ruling, Giribala Singh said Twisha suffered from depression and psychological illness and described her death as a “nightmare” for the family.
She also alleged that Twisha’s family pushed her into the glamour industry at a young age and claimed they had not visited her in the last five months.
The bail plea additionally stated that Twisha travelled to Delhi on April 17 and remained untraceable for nearly 12 hours before reaching her parents’ home the following day. It also claimed she had suffered a miscarriage.
Twisha’s family, however, maintained that she was a lively woman whose behaviour changed only after marriage.
Officials said the SIT was probing allegations of dowry harassment, physical assault and attempts to destroy evidence after her death.
On Sunday, Twisha’s family staged a protest outside the residence of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav in Bhopal, demanding a fresh and independent post-mortem at AIIMS Delhi. Her father also pointed out that Twisha’s body had remained in a Bhopal mortuary for five days.
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