Giribala Singh granted bail in haste; maligned Twisha Sharma's character — What CBI told court

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court that former judge Giribala Singh, accused in the case of her daughter-in-law Twisha Sharma's death, was granted anticipatory bail in a very hasty manner, following which the court quashed it on Thursday.

The court noted the factual aspects of the case and the allegations against Giribala and said, “in the light of the factual aspects of the case and the allegations levelled against the respondent” (Giribala Singh), the anticipatory bail order passed by the additional sessions judge is hereby quashed.

A CBI team is currently present at the Katara Hills residence of Giribala Singh.

The CBI is investigating allegations related to dowry death, harassment, conspiracy and other possible offences.

Mehta submitted that the manner in which anticipatory bail was obtained creates doubt that the trial court did not consider the aspect relevant for granting it, as per the order.

A sessions court on May 15 granted anticipatory bail to Giribala Singh, who, along with her son Samarth Singh, is facing charges of dowry harassment.

“The person is wielding power in the institution. It is by those who has the wherewithal. The bail was granted same day. The (trial) court could have waited a day or two examined well,” Mehta said, according to a Bar & Bench report. “The petitioner was a former judge and continuing judicial officer. Somebody has lost a life. In less than 24 hours, bail is granted. In a situation where people are languishing in jail, she got relief within 24 hours...”

The counsels alleged that Giribala Singh used her skills to tamper with the crime scene, and that the trial court was duty-bound to appreciate the evidence.

Mehta also noted that press conferences were held with “confidence few politicians exhibit” — “It influences witnesses. It creates a narrative. The lady (Twisha Sharma) has liberal views. Are you casting aspersions on the character? On the daughter-in-law? The narrative was that she has liberal views.”

Mehta summed up by highlighting a “problem in India” — “We say try and pull on. This results in a situation which leads to nothing but suicide.”

The first postmortem was conducted in the AIIMS Bhopal on May 13, he told the court.

However, Giribala Singh's sisters Rajbala Singh Bhadoriya and Yashveer JK, who are senior doctors in Bhopal, were allegedly present at the time of the first autopsy.

The mystery revolving around Twisha's death, the possible involvement of the influential accused, and non-cooperation shown during the probe indicate the matter is at the initial stage; therefore, custodial interrogation of the respondent may be required, the prosecuting agency said.

The Advocate General also submitted that from the query report submitted by the AIIMS, it is clear that the injuries suffered by the deceased cannot be caused while taking out the body from the ligature.

Upon discovering that Twisha was pregnant, a dispute arose among the family members. According to a PTI report, citing the counsel, on April 19, when Twisha came to Rajasthan, Giribala and her son expressed doubt over her character, following which she left her matrimonial home and went back to Noida.

Her pregnancy was forcefully terminated, stating that the child is from another person, and they will permit her to live with them when the pregnancy is terminated, he alleged.

Quoting witnesses' statements, he further claimed that on more than one occasion, the respondent demanded dowry and stated that the dowry given during the marriage ceremony was not up to their standard.

According to a News18 report, Giribala Singh allegedly demanded ₹2 lakh during the ‘vidai’ ceremony, and that the amount was paid following her insistence.

She pointed to the fact that Giribala Singh is in her 60's and claimed that she had given statements to the media only because they were hounding her at her residence.