Twisha Sharma Case: Former Judge Giribala, Son Samarth Sent To CBI Custody Till June 2

In a major development in the Twisha Sharma death case, the CBI special court in Bhopal on Friday sent former judge and Twisha’s mother-in-law Giribala Singh to five-day CBI custody, while also extending the custody of her son and the victim’s husband, Samarth Singh, by five days. Both accused will now remain in CBI custody till June 2 as investigators deepen their probe into the sensational case.

Sources said the CBI sought a five-day police remand for Giribala Singh, a request that was not opposed by her counsel during the hearing. The court subsequently granted the remand, allowing the central agency more time to interrogate both accused and confront them with forensic, digital and witness evidence gathered so far.

The latest order comes amid escalating scrutiny over the circumstances surrounding Twisha’s death, which has triggered nationwide outrage, intense legal proceedings and relentless coverage by Republic.

The CBI is expected to utilise the extended custody period to further examine alleged dowry harassment, reconstruct the sequence of events leading to Twisha’s death and verify statements made by the accused.

The development comes just a day after Giribala was arrested by the CBI following the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decision to cancel her anticipatory bail in the case.

In a sharp observation, the High Court had criticised the lower court order granting anticipatory bail, noting that crucial evidence available in the case diary had not been properly considered and that custodial interrogation appeared necessary.

The High Court order had also referred to the post-mortem findings, which confirmed death by hanging but documented six ante-mortem injuries on Twisha’s body, including injuries on her left arm, ring finger and head.

A medical query report cited during proceedings reportedly rejected the defence claim that the injuries occurred while bringing the body down.

The prosecution had further alleged that Giribala repeatedly failed to cooperate with investigators despite multiple notices being issued to her. According to submissions before the court, investigators were eventually forced to serve notices through WhatsApp after alleged refusal to physically accept them.

As part of the expanding investigation, the CBI has also conducted advanced “Tunnel View Mapping” at the crime scene to digitally reconstruct the layout of the house, movement patterns and possible sequence of events linked to Twisha’s death.

Investigators are examining forensic evidence, digital communications, financial transactions and witness testimonies as they attempt to establish the circumstances leading to the incident.

During earlier hearings, prosecutors had also referred to Twisha’s final messages allegedly sent to relatives before her death.

In those messages, Twisha reportedly claimed that her in-laws falsely labelled her a “drug addict”, did not allow her to “live happily or even cry”, and alleged that husband Samarth pressured her to terminate her pregnancy if she wanted to continue staying in the matrimonial home.

The defence, meanwhile, argued that Twisha had been emotionally distressed and cited previous financial transfers made by Giribala to Twisha amounting to over Rs 7 lakh through UPI transactions.

However, the High Court observed that those transfers had taken place months before the incident and did not negate allegations of continued harassment closer to the date of death.

The case was transferred to the CBI earlier this week following directions from the Supreme Court, which ordered an expeditious probe into the matter and advised both sides against making public comments that could affect the investigation.

Twisha, a resident of Noida, had married Bhopal-based advocate Samarth Singh in December 2025. She died under suspicious circumstances at her matrimonial home on May 12, just months after the marriage.

Her family accused her husband and in-laws of dowry harassment and abetment related to her death, triggering massive public outrage and demands for a fair probe.

Following pressure from the family, a second post-mortem examination was conducted by a team from AIIMS Delhi after a Bhopal court permitted the procedure on the Madhya Pradesh government’s request.

Twisha’s last rites were performed in Bhopal on May 24 by her brother, Major Harshit Sharma.

Samarth Singh was arrested from Jabalpur on May 22 after allegedly remaining absconding following the emergence of the case. In another significant development, the Bar Council of India suspended him from legal practice with immediate effect in connection with the allegations surrounding his wife’s death within months of marriage.

The case has been registered under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with sections of the Dowry Prohibition Act.