A district court in Bhopal on Friday, 29 May remanded former district judge Giribala Singh and her son Samarth Singh to five-day CBI custody in connection with the alleged dowry death of actor-model Twisha Sharma. The order came after both accused were produced before Sessions Judge Shobhana Bhalavi following separate medical examinations conducted under heavy security.

Key Developments

Both accused stood together in the accused box and were seen speaking quietly to each other as proceedings continued. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested Giribala Singh on Thursday, 28 May, following more than seven hours of questioning at her residence in the Katara Hills area of Bhopal. After her arrest, she was taken for a medical examination at a special camp set up at the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) campus before being produced in court.

Her arrest came hours after the Madhya Pradesh High Court rejected her interim bail plea on the same day.

Samarth Singh's Custody Trail

Samarth Singh was brought to court on completion of his earlier police remand. He had been arrested by Bhopal Police from Jabalpur on 22 May after remaining untraceable for nearly a week following Twisha Sharma's death on 12 May. He was first produced before a Judicial Magistrate First Class court on 23 May, which had sent him to police custody until 29 May. The CBI, after taking over the investigation on the recommendation of the Madhya Pradesh government, sought fresh custody for further interrogation.

Crime Scene Forensics

During the earlier remand period, the CBI took Samarth to the alleged crime scene at the Katara Hills residence and conducted a detailed forensic inspection with a specialised team from Delhi equipped with advanced investigation tools. The team spent several hours at the site carrying out photography, videography, and evidence collection, while questioning Samarth about the events of the night of 12 May.

Background: The Twisha Sharma Case

Twisha Sharma was allegedly found hanging at her in-laws' residence in Katara Hills, Bhopal. Her family subsequently accused her husband and in-laws of dowry harassment, leading to demands for a thorough investigation. The Madhya Pradesh government recommended a CBI inquiry, which the agency took over and has since been pursuing with forensic and custodial resources.

With five-day CBI custody now in hand, investigators are expected to conduct further interrogations and possibly revisit the crime scene before presenting their findings to the court.