Evidence tampered, footage leaked: Twisha's mother-in-law's pre-arrest bail opposed

The Madhya Pradesh government has approached the High Court, seeking cancellation of the pre-arrest bail granted to former judge Giribala Singh, the mother-in-law of the victim, Twisha Sharma, alleging that the former tampered with evidence, obstructed the probe and compromised the crime scene in the case. Twisha Sharma, a 31-year-old woman from Noida, was found hanging from the exercise rod installed on the terrace of her marital home in Bhopal on May 12, with her family blaming her in-laws for dowry harassment.

The state government raised concerns over the CCTV footage from the family’s residence, describing it as a key piece of evidence. Police had seized the footage on May 13 as part of the investigation, but the state government alleged that Giribala Singh had retained copies and later selectively released short clips on social media.

According to the state government, investigation records and WhatsApp conversations between Twisha and her parents point to sustained harassment in her matrimonial home. The plea claimed that even a preliminary reading of the chats reflected the extent of her mental distress and suggested a continuing pattern of harassment allegedly involving Giribala Singh and her son, Samarth Singh.

The state government argued that the sessions court granted anticipatory bail to Giribala Singh in a “mechanical manner” without adequately examining the prosecution’s material and the seriousness of the allegations. So far, neither the police nor the court has publicly released the full WhatsApp chats or the complete CCTV footage and many of the claims are being made by opposing sides in court filings.

The plea argued that the selective circulation of CCTV visuals by Giribala Singh amounted to an attempt to influence public perception, interfere with the investigation and weaken prosecution evidence.

A Bhopal court granted anticipatory bail to Giribala Singh on May 15 on a bond of Rs 50,000. Since then, the case, which has since been handed over to the CBI by the Madhya Pradesh government, has emerged as one of the state’s most closely watched investigations. The allegations range from dowry death and tampering of forensic evidence to leaks of digital material and attempts to influence the probe.

Recently, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) issued a third notice to Giribala Singh for questioning, while police sources said investigators were preparing to seek cancellation of her pre-arrest bail over alleged non-cooperation and violation of bail conditions. Twisha Sharma’s family and their lawyer had considered approaching the High Court, seeking a second post-mortem examination.

WHO WAS TWISHA SHARMA?

Twisha, a 33-year-old model-turned-actor from Noida, was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on May 12. Her family accused her husband and in-laws of dowry-related harassment and alleged they drove her to death. Her in-laws, however, have denied wrongdoing and claimed she struggled with drug addiction.

Following her death, police registered an FIR under Sections 80(2), 85 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, naming Samarth Singh and Giribala Singh. The state government has urged the High Court to revoke the anticipatory bail given to Giribala Singh, citing the gravity of the allegations and alleged interference with the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, Samarth Singh, Twisha's husband, who has remained untraceable for the past 10 days since her death, offered to surrender, his lawyer informed the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday.

Earlier today, the High Court ordered a second post-mortem in the case, days after a Bhopal court rejected a plea seeking a fresh autopsy at AIIMS Delhi. While dismissing the May 19 application, the lower court had flagged concerns over preservation of Twisha's body, which has remained in the AIIMS Bhopal mortuary since May 13.

- Ends