High Court to hear Twisha’s mother-in-law Giribala Singh’s bail plea:State govt say former judge is not cooperating with ongoing investigation

The Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur is set to hear a petition on Wednesday seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to retired judge and actress Twisha Sharma’s mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, in the high-profile death case. The Madhya Pradesh government and Twisha’s father, Navnidhi Sharma, have both opposed the bail order. During the previous hearing on May 25, Giribala Singh’s counsel had sought additional time to file a response, which the court allowed for two days. During the hearing, Advocate General Prashant Singh argued that Giribala Singh was not cooperating with the investigation. Her lawyer, Mrigendra Singh, stated that the response could not be filed earlier because relevant petition documents had not been received. Twisha’s family lawyer, Piyush Tiwari, informed the court that time had already been granted for filing the reply. Investigation now focused on digital evidence The investigation has now shifted heavily toward digital evidence. On Tuesday, police informed a Bhopal court that letters had been sent to telecom companies requesting preservation of Call Detail Records (CDR) and tower location data linked to the case. The response was submitted following an application filed by Twisha’s family, which claimed that Giribala Singh made calls to 46 phone numbers after Twisha’s death. According to the application, some of those numbers allegedly belonged to judicial officers and individuals connected to investigative agencies. Twisha Sharma was found hanging at her residence on May 12. Giribala Singh filed an anticipatory bail plea in Bhopal court on May 15. Her son, Samarth Singh, was arrested by Jabalpur police on May 22. CBI questions Giribala Singh and family members The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has now taken over the case, recorded statements from several key individuals on Tuesday. A CBI team questioned Giribala Singh and recorded her statement. Another team visited the 3 EME Centre to gather information from Twisha’s family members. Separately, a second CBI team reached the Police Commissioner’s office and sought details about the investigation from Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar. The agency also demanded the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) case diary. During preliminary scrutiny, the diary was reportedly found incomplete, prompting the CBI to direct the SIT to update and resubmit it. Late Tuesday night, the SIT submitted the completed case diary to the CBI. Hearing on CDR and CCTV preservation applications The Bhopal district court also heard applications related to preserving CDR data and CCTV footage connected to the case. The SIT informed the court that telecom companies had already been asked to preserve all CDR records between May 12 and May 20. The information will be added to the case diary once received. Twisha’s family, through advocate Ankur Pandey, had sought preservation of the CDR data. Meanwhile, Giribala Singh filed a separate application seeking preservation of CCTV footage. That application is also scheduled for hearing on Wednesday. After formally taking over the investigation, CBI officials visited Giribala Singh’s residence on Tuesday. The agency had registered an FIR against Giribala Singh and Samarth Singh on Monday night. The FIR also includes allegations of dowry-related monetary demands. Samarth Singh says marriage was “strained” During questioning, Samarth Singh admitted that his relationship with Twisha was strained, but denied any physical violence. He acknowledged that arguments between them were frequent, but described them as part of marital tensions rather than abuse. According to Samarth, the marriage remained normal until March, but tensions increased after Twisha’s brother got married. Investigators questioned him about how he first met Twisha, how long they had known each other before marriage, and what changed within five months of their wedding. Police also asked how often Twisha visited her parental home and whether she went willingly or left after domestic disputes. Pregnancy and abortion become key focus of investigation One of the most sensitive areas of interrogation involved Twisha’s pregnancy and abortion. Samarth told investigators that he wanted to become a father, while Twisha allegedly did not want to continue the pregnancy. He claimed the abortion was carried out after medical consultation and with Twisha’s consent. “We both visited the doctor together and the abortion took place through prescribed medication,” Samarth reportedly told police. However, WhatsApp messages recovered during the investigation reportedly show that Samarth had questioned Twisha’s pregnancy and even doubted the child’s paternity. This appears to contradict his claim that both he and his mother wanted the child. Mental health treatment under scrutiny Twisha’s family alleges that disputes related to her pregnancy led to psychiatric treatment and medication. According to the family, Twisha lost nearly 15 kilograms during this period. Samarth told investigators that Twisha suffered from bipolar disorder and sudden behavioral changes. He said doctors had diagnosed her with “adjustment disorder” and that she was prescribed sleeping medication to reduce stress. Investigators questioned whether Twisha’s family had been informed about the treatment, when it began, and why psychiatric intervention became necessary within months of marriage. The CBI is now expected to examine whether the treatment was medically justified, whether Twisha’s consent was properly obtained, and whether her family was kept unaware of the process. Supreme Court expresses concern over questions on judicial neutrality The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognizance of the case and heard the matter. Chief Justice Surya Kant said the media should avoid selectively amplifying statements from either side and allow the legal process to continue fairly. “We are saddened that questions are being raised about the neutrality of the judiciary,” the Chief Justice observed. During the Supreme Court hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, alleged that former judge Giribala Singh was obstructing the investigation Second postmortem conducted 12 days after death On May 24, a team from AIIMS Delhi conducted a second postmortem examination of Twisha’s body at AIIMS Bhopal. Later that evening, Twisha was cremated at Bhadbhada crematorium, 12 days after her death. Her brother, Major Harshit, performed the last rites. Twisha Sharma died under suspicious circumstances on the night of May 12 at her residence in Katara Hills, Bhopal. While her in-laws claim it was a case of suicide, her family has accused her husband and in-laws of murder.