A court in Bhopal has decided to extend the judicial custody of Giribala Singh, a retired judge, and her son Samarth Singh, a practicing lawyer, by an additional 14 days. This decision comes in the wake of an ongoing investigation into the tragic death of Twisha Sharma, a model-turned-actor from Pune, which has been classified as a dowry death.
Investigation Details
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), responsible for overseeing the case, requested the extension, highlighting unresolved aspects of the investigation. Critical tasks remain unfinished, such as the forensic examination of evidence and the challenging retrieval of data from Samarth Singh’s password-protected laptop.
In addition, the CBI has filed a request for voice samples from both Giribala and Samarth Singh. These samples are crucial for analyzing specific audio recordings that could provide further evidence in the case. The court is scheduled to review this application on July 3, where further directions are anticipated.
Pending Forensic Reports
Ankur Pandey, legal counsel, stated that the CBI informed the court about awaiting reports from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL). The agency also emphasized that they are yet to decrypt the data from Samarth Singh’s laptop due to its secure password protection.
Background of the Case
Twisha Sharma, originally from Noida, married Samarth Singh, who is based in Bhopal, after meeting him through a dating app. Their marriage, however, met a tragic end just five months later when Sharma was discovered hanging at her residence in Bhopal on May 12. Her family has accused her husband and in-laws of ongoing domestic violence and harassment over dowry, leading to a police report at Katara Hills station.
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Legal Proceedings Against Giribala Singh
Giribala Singh, Twisha’s mother-in-law, had previously served as a judge and was the President of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Madhya Pradesh. Initially, she secured anticipatory bail from a sessions court, but this relief was revoked by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
In response to the family’s request for a thorough investigation, the High Court ordered a second post-mortem to be conducted by a team from AIIMS Delhi in Bhopal, aiming to ascertain the precise cause of Twisha Sharma’s death.
The CBI arrested both Giribala and Samarth Singh in May. After their initial CBI custody expired on June 2, they were remanded to judicial custody by the Bhopal court, which has now been extended for an additional 14 days as the investigation continues.
