Twisha Sharma dowry death case: MP High Court quashes MIL Giribala Singh's anticipatory bail; Samarth Singh to stay in CBI custody till 29 May

The Twisha Sharma death case intensified sharply on Wednesday (May 27) after the Madhya Pradesh High Court cancelled the anticipatory bail granted to former district judge Giribala Singh, the mother-in-law of the deceased. This opens the door for possible custodial interrogation by the CBI.

Giribala Singh's anticipatory bail quashed

In a significant setback for the accused side, Justice Devnarayan Mishra quashed the May 15 sessions court order that had protected Giribala Singh from arrest in the dowry death case linked to Twisha Sharma’s death on May 12.

The High Court observed that the lower court failed to properly examine crucial material already present in the case diary, including witness statements, WhatsApp chats and medical findings.

The court specifically noted allegations made by Twisha’s family that Giribala Singh and her son Samarth Singh had allegedly subjected the deceased to harassment and pressure regarding her pregnancy.

The HC also pointed to postmortem findings mentioning multiple ante-mortem injuries, saying the matter required deeper investigation.

Enough time to hold press conferences

The MP High Court also accepted submissions made by both the prosecution and the Central Bureau of Investigation that Giribala Singh had allegedly not cooperated fully despite repeated notices issued during the investigation. Appearing before the court, the state government argued that while Twisha Sharma's mother-in-law had enough time to hold press conferences after getting anticipatory bail, she allegedly avoided cooperating with investigators.

"She had time to hold press conferences, but no time to cooperate in the investigations," the prosecution argued.

The High Court eventually ruled that the seriousness of the allegations and the current stage of the probe justified cancellation of anticipatory bail.

CBI takes custody of Samarth Singh

CBI has formally taken custody of Twisha’s husband, Samarth Singh, till May 29 after producing him before a Bhopal court. Samarth, who remained absconding for nearly a week after the case surfaced, was arrested in Jabalpur on May 22.

Soon after securing his custody, a specialised CBI team from Delhi took Samarth back to the crime scene, the Katara Hills residence in Bhopal, where Twisha was allegedly found hanging. Investigators spent more than three hours at the house conducting detailed photography, videography and forensic examination of the terrace and surrounding areas while questioning Samarth about the events of May 12 night.