In Twisha Sharma case, AIIMS' key report reveals skin tissues match gym belt

THe AIIMS medical room, which conducted a court-ordered endorse post-mortem in the dying of Twisha Sharma, has submitted its last forensic opinion to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a sealed cover, marking a key development in the probe.The report, submitted on July 10 in compliance with directions of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, addresses a major forensic dispute over the ligature material allegedly used in the hanging, including a gymnastics belt with a metal ring, news agency ANI reported.Also Read: Twisha Sharma case: The 7 questions that continue to haunt the investigationKey forensic issueThe central question before the medical board was whether the gymnastics belt with a metal ring was the actual ligature used for hanging and whether it matched the injuries found on Twisha Sharma's neck.The first postmortem could not determine this because the alleged ligature material was not produced before the medical board during the autopsy. The Madhya Pradesh High Court subsequently ordered a second postmortem to be conducted by the medical board at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi.Laboratory and histopathological examinations confirmed the presence of skin tissue on the ligature material, establishing that it matched the injury pattern.However, the board's final conclusions remain confidential as the report has been submitted to the CBI in a sealed cover in accordance with court directions, the news agency reported.In its May 22 order in Writ Petition No. 19119/2026, the Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur directed the constitution of a medical board to conduct a second postmortem in the case.In accordance with the order, the Director of AIIMS New Delhi constituted a five-member medical board comprising doctors from the Department of Forensic Medicine. The board conducted the second postmortem on May 24 and also visited the crime scene.The High Court directed that the report be submitted to the investigating agency in a sealed cover. Accordingly, the AIIMS board handed its 11-page medical opinion to the CBI on July 10 and informed the Registrar General of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.AIIMS' ‘crystal-clear' opinionDeclining to disclose the findings in view of the High Court's directions and subsequent Supreme Court orders, Dr Sudhir Gupta, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at AIIMS, said the board carried out a detailed scientific examination before reaching its conclusions."The medical board deliberated very minutely on 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 Gupta said.He declined to provide further details, saying the report had been submitted to the CBI in a sealed cover as directed by the court.According to the forwarding letter, the sealed report was handed over to the CBI investigating officer, while the videography of the second postmortem remains with the investigating agency.Twisha Sharma, the daughter-in-law of retired Principal District and Sessions Judge Giribala Singh, was found hanging at her matrimonial home in Bhopal earlier this year.(With inputs from ANI)