The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on a petition seeking the revocation of anticipatory bail granted to former district judge Giribala Singh in connection with the Twisha Sharma dowry death case. The vacation bench of Justice Dev Narayan Mishra heard arguments from lawyers representing the state government and Twisha's father for over three and a half hours before reserving the verdict.
Background of the Case
Giribala Singh, a former district judge, was named as an accused in the death of her daughter-in-law, Twisha Sharma, a model-turned-actress. Twisha died under suspicious circumstances at her matrimonial home in Bhopal's Katara Hills on the night of May 12. Her husband, Samarth Singh, who is a lawyer, was also accused in the case. He surrendered to the police after being denied pre-arrest bail and is currently in CBI custody.
Arguments Against Bail
Twisha's father and the Madhya Pradesh government filed separate pleas before the High Court seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to Giribala by the trial court. The counsels argued that Giribala was violating the bail conditions imposed by the sessions court. They pointed out that she had been served five notices by the Bhopal police between May 13 and May 23, but she failed to respond to any of them. Additionally, she held a press conference on May 18, allegedly making statements that cast aspersions on Twisha's character after her death. It was also alleged that she was obstructing the investigating agencies from accessing physical evidence at her home.
CBI Takes Over Probe
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has taken over the investigation into Twisha's death, filed an application to be an intervenor in the case, which was granted by the single bench. Meanwhile, a local court on Wednesday transferred the custody of Samarth Singh to the CBI until May 29. The CBI had sought the transfer of custody from the Bhopal Police after taking over the probe. The CBI also took Samarth to his house to recreate the scene of the night when Twisha was found dead.
