Giribala Singh found reading ‘The Pregnant King’ book in jail:Reports no problems in jail; CBI receives second autopsy report

A team from the Madhya Pradesh Women’s Commission visited Bhopal Central Jail and met retired judge Giribala Singh, who is lodged there in connection with the death of actress Twisha Sharma. During the visit, Singh was seen reading The Pregnant King, a novel by Devdutt Pattanaik. She reportedly closed the book upon noticing the inspection team. Women’s Commission Chairperson Rekha Yadav interacted with Singh regarding food, healthcare and other facilities available in jail. According to Yadav, Singh did not raise any complaints and said she was not facing any difficulties. The commission also inspected the women’s ward, hospital, kitchen, library, art and craft centre and beauty parlour inside the prison. No evidence of VIP treatment in jail Rekha Yadav said Giribala Singh remained calm throughout the interaction. The commission found no indication that she was receiving any special treatment inside the jail. Allegations had earlier surfaced that Singh and her son Samarth Singh were being given VIP facilities. Following the controversy, jail authorities shifted both from the hospital ward to regular barracks. Security around Giribala Singh has been enhanced after court directions. Additional guards have been deployed and CCTV surveillance strengthened. The book Giribala Singh was reading The book found with Singh, The Pregnant King, is based on the mythological story of King Yuvanashva. According to Hindu mythology, King Yuvanashva accidentally consumed a sacred potion intended for a queen during a ritual performed to obtain a child. As a result, he became pregnant and later gave birth to Mandhata, a legendary king. CBI receives second post-mortem report The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing Twisha Sharma’s death, has received the second post-mortem report. Investigators are currently matching medical, digital and forensic evidence. The probe is focusing on issues related to pregnancy, abortion, injuries found on the body and circumstances surrounding the alleged hanging. The agency is also examining chats, call records, photographs, videos and deleted data recovered from mobile phones and laptops to reconstruct the sequence of events. Legal aid lawyers appear for Giribala Singh Legal Aid Defence Counsels Reena Verma and Shreyas Saxena have filed their appearance on behalf of Giribala Singh in the district court. As both advocates are associated with the Legal Services Authority, the court has sought permission from the State Legal Services Authority before proceeding further. CBI examining medical and Digital evidence The investigation agency is trying to piece together all available evidence by reviewing medical records, digital material and other facts related to the case. Documents submitted by Giribala Singh before the Jabalpur High Court reportedly indicated that information related to the investigation may have reached her before formal disclosure. Twisha’s family lawyer, Ankur Pandey, alleged that access to such information helped Singh secure anticipatory bail initially. Name of the person who identified the rope not recorded The lawyer claims that the role of SI Dinesh Sharma, who conducted the preliminary investigation, is suspicious. The application for anticipatory bail mentioned errors in the documents related to the seizure. Bail was sought on this basis. This indicates that important information related to the case diary was reaching Giribala Singh. Ankur said that Twisha’s family members were questioning the police’s intentions from the very beginning. They alleged that the police were deliberately making serious errors, which could weaken the case. After examination at AIIMS, the rope was sent for FSL investigation on May 16. Currently, the CBI is only investigating Twisha’s death. On May 29, retired judge Giribala Singh and Samarth Singh were presented in Bhopal’s Special Court. There were two belts, police seized one In the Twisha case, crime scene photos showed two belts hanging on two different rings in the room, but the police seized only one belt on May 13. It is not clear in the seizure memo (panchnama) on whose indication the belt was found. Despite this, the police included the same belt in the investigation, considering it to be the ligature belt used in the death, and sent it to AIIMS Bhopal. Allegations of case diary documents reaching the accused In response to the petition filed to get the anticipatory bail rejected, it has been stated by Giribala in the High Court that the seizure document related to the rope was part of the case diary. At that time, Samarth and Giribala were not accused, so legally they did not have the right to access that document. This right belongs only to the police. Despite this, questions have been raised about the submission of this document along with the reply to the anticipatory bail application. Twisha’s family’s lawyer alleges that this allowed investigation-related documents to reach the accused in advance. However, no official reaction has come from the investigating agencies in this regard. Questions raised over initial police investigation The family has repeatedly questioned the conduct of the initial investigation carried out by Sub-Inspector Dinesh Sharma. According to Ankur Pandey, Sharma was among the first officers to reach the scene on May 13, 2026. He allegedly seized the rope in the presence of Giribala Singh and Samarth Singh but did not include any independent witnesses in the seizure memo. Pandey claims the officer kept the rope in his vehicle instead of immediately handing it over to doctors at AIIMS Bhopal. The rope was reportedly submitted for medical examination two days later, on May 15. The lawyer argues that witnesses are legally required during evidence seizure and that police should have treated Giribala and Samarth as suspects from the beginning. Dispute over seized belt and crime scene evidence A major point of contention in the case concerns photographs taken at the scene. According to Twisha’s family’s lawyer, photographs show two belts hanging from two separate rings in the room. However, police reportedly seized only one belt and treated it as the ligature used in the death. The seizure documents allegedly do not specify who identified the belt or how it was linked to the incident. The belt was later sent to AIIMS Bhopal and subsequently forwarded to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination. Allegations that case documents reached accused The family has also questioned how certain investigation-related documents became part of Giribala Singh’s anticipatory bail proceedings. According to submissions made before the High Court, the seizure memo related to the rope was part of the case diary. At that stage, neither Giribala nor Samarth had been formally named as accused. The family’s lawyer argues that such documents should have remained accessible only to investigating authorities, raising concerns about whether sensitive case material reached the accused prematurely. No official response has yet been issued by investigating agencies regarding these allegations. CBI verifying medical documents The CBI is also examining documents submitted by Giribala Singh that allegedly suggested Twisha Sharma suffered from mental health issues and had undergone treatment. Investigators are verifying whether the treatment actually took place and assessing Twisha’s mental health history. As part of the inquiry, psychiatrist Dr. Satyakant Trivedi was questioned by the CBI. Dr. Trivedi confirmed being contacted by investigators but declined to disclose any details, citing patient confidentiality and privacy rights. Was Twisha suffering from mental illness? According to CBI sources, investigators are examining whether Twisha was genuinely undergoing treatment for a psychiatric condition or whether related documents were used for another purpose. The agency continues to review medical records and other evidence before drawing conclusions. 29 convicts sentenced by Giribala also lodged in same jail Security concerns surrounding Giribala Singh stem from her previous judicial role. Jail authorities have stated that 29 inmates currently lodged in Bhopal Central Jail were convicted in cases where Giribala Singh had delivered judgments during her tenure as a district judge. She served as a judge in the Bhopal District Court from July 15, 2021, to February 28, 2023. Because of this, prison authorities have increased surveillance and security arrangements around her barrack. Case background The Madhya Pradesh High Court cancelled Giribala Singh’s anticipatory bail on May 27. Following her arrest on June 1, the CBI took Giribala Singh and her son Samarth Singh to their residence as part of the investigation. The agency continues to examine medical, forensic and digital evidence to determine the circumstances surrounding actress Twisha Sharma’s death.