BHOPAL: Both the accused in model-actor Twisha Sharma’s May 12 suspected dowry death case — her husband Samarth Singh (34) and 63-year-old mother-in-law, former judge Giribala Singh — were sent to 14 days of judicial custody by a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Bhopal on Tuesday.
As the CBI’s five-day custodial remand of the two accused ended at 2 pm on Tuesday, the mother-son duo was produced before the JMFC court in Bhopal around noon amid tight security.
With the CBI not seeking an extension of remand, the court sent Giribala and Samarth to Bhopal Central Jail until June 16.
The legal team representing the accused, led by senior advocate Enosh George Carlo, raised concerns about the safety of Giribala and her son inside the jail.
The defence submitted that several inmates at Bhopal Central Jail may have been convicted or denied bail in cases handled by Giribala Singh, particularly during her tenure as Bhopal District and Sessions Judge between 2021 and 2023. The counsel argued that this could pose a security risk to both the accused and sought appropriate protection.
“We didn’t oppose the submissions by the defence counsel, as it appeared to be a valid concern,” Anurag Srivastava, counsel for Twisha’s family, told journalists after the hearing.
Taking note of the security concerns, the JMFC court directed Bhopal Central Jail authorities to ensure adequate protection for the accused and house them separately from other inmates.
The CBI counsel informed the court that forensic reports and findings related to digital evidence were still awaited and that witness statements were yet to be recorded. The agency said it could seek fresh remand of the accused if required for further investigation.
Giribala Singh raises concerns on multiple issues
Although represented by her legal team during the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, former judge Giribala Singh personally raised several issues before the court.
She first questioned the handling of the CBI’s crime scene reconstruction exercise conducted on the terrace of her house on Monday. According to her, the secrecy of the procedure was compromised because no curtain or cover had been installed, allowing live media coverage. She further alleged that media personnel were already present wherever she and Samarth were taken during CBI custody.
Giribala also alleged that on May 29, while she and Samarth were being brought to a Bhopal court for remand proceedings, Samarth suffered a leg injury due to overcrowding by media personnel. She claimed that both were being subjected to excessive media scrutiny and said such media trial should end.
Additionally, the former judge alleged that Anurag Srivastava, counsel for Twisha’s family, assaulted Samarth in the Jabalpur District Court premises on May 22. She demanded action against Srivastava.
Samarth had gone to the Jabalpur District Court on May 22 to surrender in the case, but the court did not permit the surrender, following which he was arrested by police.
Denying the allegation, Srivastava said, “On May 22, while Samarth was hiding in a courtroom in Jabalpur district court premises, I only forced him to come out of that room. All videos of those developments were reported in the media, as media personnel surrounded Samarth thereafter. It was some advocates known to Samarth who then took Samarth to the chamber of the local bar association’s head, where those advocates pushed me and the media personnel away.”