Giribala Singh on Wednesday denied allegations made by the Madhya Pradesh Police while defending her anticipatory bail plea before the Principal Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur in connection with the high-profile death case of actress and model Twisha Sharma.
In a detailed reply submitted through her counsel, advocate Mrigendra Singh, Giribala Singh claimed she had fully cooperated with investigators and never attempted to influence the probe or tamper with evidence in the case, which was recently transferred to the CBI. The defence argued that custodial interrogation was unnecessary and that arresting her at this stage would amount to "pre-trial punishment".
The defence further told the court that most portions of the family residence had already been sealed by police on May 13, leaving no scope for destruction or manipulation of evidence. According to the reply, police officials and later CBI officers freely entered the house and seized mobile phones, electronic devices, passports and documents without resistance.
Rejecting allegations related to the leak of CCTV footage to media organisations, the defence stated that the DVR was already in police custody. On allegations of manipulation of the first post-mortem conducted at AIIMS Bhopal, Giribala Singh's counsel argued there was no evidence linking her to interference in the medical process.
Addressing allegations connected to abortion pills, the defence claimed that Twisha Sharma had independently taken the medication after medical counselling and further stated that she had been undergoing psychiatric treatment for anxiety. The lawyers also argued that the possibility of suicide had not been ruled out, citing post-mortem observations mentioning ante-mortem hanging and CCTV footage already seized by investigators.
The High Court is hearing petitions challenging anticipatory bail granted to Giribala Singh by a Bhopal district court after an FIR was registered following Twisha Sharma's death on May 12. Twisha, 33, was found hanging at her matrimonial home in Bhopal's Katara Hills area. Her family alleged persistent mental harassment, dowry demands and cruelty by her husband Samarth Singh and in-laws.
The case, initially investigated by Bhopal Police as a suspected dowry death, was later transferred to the CBI following public outrage and demands for an independent probe. Samarth Singh, a lawyer and son of retired judge Giribala Singh, remained absconding for nearly 10 days before being arrested in Jabalpur after withdrawing his anticipatory bail plea from the High Court. Police clarified that he was arrested and had not voluntarily surrendered.
A Bhopal court later granted seven days of police remand to Samarth Singh, citing non-cooperation during questioning. Investigators accused him of withholding crucial details about his movements on the day of Twisha's death. He has now been remanded to CBI custody till May 29 as the agency intensifies its investigation into alleged marital disputes, financial transactions and the role of family members.
After officially taking over the probe, the CBI's Special Crime Unit-III from Delhi visited the crime scene at Twisha Sharma's residence, collected evidence and examined various sections of the house. The agency is also analysing digital records, call data and financial transactions as part of the ongoing investigation. The case has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many demanding strict action and justice for Twisha Sharma.
(With inputs from IANS)
