The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an immediate CBI probe into the unnatural death of actor and corporate professional-turned-performer Twisha Sharma. A vacation bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court deferred the hearing on petitions seeking cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to Giribala Singh, the mother-in-law of Twisha, to May 27.
SC Takes Suo Motu Cognizance
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi said it had taken suo motu cognizance of the case after several media reports apprehended institutional bias and interference in the probe. The court noted that the husband is a lawyer and the mother-in-law a retired district judge, who had obtained anticipatory bail within a day of applying for it.
CBI Takes Over Investigation
The CBI took over the investigation from Bhopal police and is likely to seek custody of Twisha's husband, Samarth Singh, who is currently on police remand. The agency may recreate the crime scene on Tuesday.
MP Government's Submission
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, told the apex court that the mother-in-law, a potential accused, has been "hopping from one TV channel to another" giving statements maligning the deceased after securing anticipatory bail on May 15. He stated that she is not cooperating with investigations and has not recorded her statement with police despite several notices. The investigating agency needs to seize her mobile phone and other electronic devices, which could be crucial evidence.
The CJI-led bench said, "We have no doubt that the CBI will conduct an impartial probe. The moment a narrative about institutional bias was built, the state rightly referred the investigations to the CBI."
Court Disapproves of Media Trials
The Supreme Court bench disapproved of media taking statements of witnesses and potential accused and requested it to desist from the same as it could prejudice or jeopardize the rights of the complainant and potential accused, in addition to interfering with a fair trial. Mehta said it was because of media that the case got highlighted.
The bench said the people concerned, instead of giving interviews to media, should go before investigating agencies and record their statements. "We also request the public not to speculate and have trust and faith in the premier investigating agency, which in due course will take the investigations to its logical end," the bench said.
When senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for family members of the deceased, attempted to show certain documents to the bench, it told him to give them to the investigating agency.
