A sessions court in Bhopal on Friday sent Giribala Singh, a retired district judge and mother-in-law of model-turned-actor Twisha Sharma, along with her lawyer-husband Samarth Singh, to five days of CBI custody until June 2. The mother and son were produced together before sessions judge Shobhana Bhalave. The CBI sought five days of remand for the duo's simultaneous interrogation regarding Twisha's death at her marital home on May 12, which was alleged to be a suicide amid accusations of dowry harassment.
Background of the Case
Samarth was arrested on May 23 and initially placed under seven-day Bhopal police custody, which was later transferred to the CBI on May 27 after the central agency took over the case. Giribala was arrested by the CBI on Thursday after seven hours of questioning at her home in the upscale Bagh Mugalia Extension of Bhopal's Katara Hills area.
In court on Friday, Samarth was brought upon the expiry of his seven-day remand, while Giribala appeared for fresh custody. The CBI counsel pressed for joint remands to ensure that mother and son could be questioned together about the circumstances surrounding Twisha's death.
Allegations and Legal Proceedings
Twisha's Noida-based family arrived in Bhopal the day after her death and accused Giribala and Samarth of torturing her. This led the police to file a case of dowry death against the duo on May 14. Giribala was granted anticipatory bail by a trial court on May 15, three days after Twisha's death. However, Samarth's anticipatory bail plea was rejected. He subsequently moved the high court but withdrew his plea when it came up on May 22. He was arrested from Jabalpur and remanded in police custody.
Later, the Madhya Pradesh government and Twisha's family challenged the lower court's anticipatory bail for Giribala in the high court. Justice Dev Narayan Mishra canceled the bail on Wednesday after prolonged arguments, paving the way for CBI sleuths to take Giribala into custody the following day.
