Twisha Sharma death: New phase in investigation after ex-judge Giribala Singh’s arrest

The CBI is probing the case under BNS sections 80(2) (punishment for dowry death), 85 (cruelty inflicted upon a married woman by her husband or his relatives) and 3(5) (common intention), as well as provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.

The arrest comes after the Madhya Pradesh High Court cancelled Giribala Singh’s anticipatory bail, holding that the trial court that granted bail had ignored critical evidence, including WhatsApp chats, witness statements, allegations linked to Twisha’s pregnancy and postmortem findings showing multiple ante-mortem injuries.

Justice Dev Narayan Mishra of the High Court observed in his order that the WhatsApp messages and statements of witnesses showed “there are clear allegations against” Giribala and her son. “From the WhatsApp chats also, it cannot be said that the allegations are only against Samarth Singh, but the trial Court did not consider all these facts,” the High Court said.

The court also noted that the postmortem report indicates “six other injuries were found in the body of the deceased, in which four injuries were on the left arm, one in the ring figure and one on the head, and that was antemortem”.

The CBI is now expected to question Giribala Singh on multiple matters, including events preceding Twisha’s death, allegations of evidence tampering, handling of CCTV footage, communication with police and medical officials, and the management of the crime scene during the crucial hours after the incident.

One major line of investigation is likely to centre on the sequence of events inside the house on the night of May 12 and the conduct of family members immediately after Twisha was found hanging.

Investigators are expected to look into who was present at the house at the time of the death, who first discovered Twisha, how the body was brought down, when relatives and neighbours were called and why the police chowki located close to the residence was not informed immediately.

The agency is also expected to examine the handling of electronic evidence, particularly the CCTV footage seized from the house. The Madhya Pradesh government had earlier alleged before the High Court that selective clips of CCTV footage were strategically leaked to social media “to tamper [with] prosecution evidence and obstruct the investigation”.

The CBI is likely to investigate how copies of the footage were retained, who accessed the DVR before and after seizure and whether the publicly circulated clips matched the original recordings recovered by investigators.

Another significant focus area is expected to be phone records, WhatsApp chats and communication logs involving the accused during the hours immediately after Twisha’s death.

Investigators are also expected to examine allegations surrounding the first postmortem conducted at AIIMS Bhopal, including why the ligature material was allegedly not supplied to forensic experts during the initial examination and whether any attempts were made to influence medical findings.

The CBI is additionally expected to probe allegations relating to Twisha’s pregnancy and its termination, an issue that has emerged repeatedly in witness statements and court proceedings.

According to the High Court order, Twisha’s family members alleged that she had faced pressure from her husband and mother-in-law to terminate the pregnancy, while the defence maintained that the decision had been voluntary.

For 12 days after her death, Twisha’s family resisted cremating her remains while demanding a second postmortem and transfer of the investigation. On Sunday, soon after the second postmortem was conducted by a team from AIIMS Delhi, her last rites were conducted.