Born Guilty
On 12 May 2026, Twisha Sharma, 33, was found hanging in her matrimonial home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills. The FIR named her husband and mother-in-law on allegations of dowry harassment.
The Jharkhand High Court on Friday stayed all police action on an FIR lodged against officials of the Enforcement Directorate, providing interim relief to the central agency amid an escalating standoff with the Jharkhand Police.
Hearing a criminal writ petition filed by the ED, a Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi ordered that no coercive steps shall be taken against ED officials in connection with the FIR lodged by Santosh Kumar, an accused in the alleged drinking water supply scam. The court directed that the police investigation arising out of the FIR be kept in abeyance for the time being.
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The Bench issued notices to the state government, directing it to file its response within seven days, while private respondent Santosh Kumar was granted ten days to submit his reply. The Union Home Secretary and Santosh Kumar have been impleaded as parties in the case. The next hearing has been fixed for February 9.
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The court also passed directions on security, instructing the state government to ensure full protection for ED officials and the agency’s Ranchi office. It was directed that the Senior Superintendent of Police would oversee the security arrangements, with central forces such as CISF or CRPF to be deployed for the purpose.
The ED has sought quashing of the FIR and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the entire episode. The court indicated that the prayer for a CBI inquiry would be considered at a later stage.
The case stems from an ongoing ED investigation into alleged irregularities in the state’s drinking water department. According to the agency, Santosh Kumar appeared at the ED’s Ranchi office without a summons and sought to record his statement. He later alleged assault during questioning and lodged an FIR against ED officials at the Airport police station.
Following the registration of the FIR, Ranchi Police initiated a probe and visited the ED office on Thursday, prompting the agency to approach the High Court. The ED contended that the police action was intended to derail and influence its statutory investigation, a submission that led the court to grant interim protection.
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