Samarth Singh, the husband of model and actor Twisha Sharma, arrived at the Jabalpur High Court to surrender on Friday, after absconding for days in a dowry death case filed against him and his mother.
The development came during hearings before Justice Avanindra Kumar Singh in a batch of connected matters arising out of Twisha’s death, including pleas seeking cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to her mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, as well as her family’s request for a second postmortem.
Samarth had approached the court seeking relief after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the sessions court.
The high court also heard preliminary submissions on Twisha’s father’s plea seeking a second postmortem of his daughter at AIIMS Delhi. During the proceedings, the state indicated that it would not oppose a second postmortem if sought by the victim’s family.
At the same time, the court also took up petitions filed both by Twisha’s father and the state government seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted to Giribala Singh. Both petitions allege that the retired judicial officer tampered with evidence, leaked selective CCTV footage, failed to cooperate with investigators and influenced the investigation.
Addressing reporters after the hearing in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh Advocate General Prashant Singh said the High Court directed the Director of AIIMS Delhi to constitute a medical board for conducting the second postmortem and ordered that logistical support be arranged immediately thereafter.
Meanwhile, in its petition filed before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the state government alleged that the sessions court granted anticipatory bail to Giribala Singh “in a very mechanical manner without going through the prosecution evidence,” despite what it described as “crystal clear allegations” emerging from WhatsApp chats between Twisha Sharma and her parents.
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One of the strongest allegations made by the state concerns the handling and public circulation of CCTV footage from the house where Twisha was found dead. According to the petition, police had already seized the CCTV footage from the residence on May 13 as part of the investigation.
However, the government alleged that Giribala Singh had separately retained copies of the footage and later strategically leaked “selected small clips” on social media “in a manner to tamper prosecution evidence and obstruct investigation.”
According to the state, the investigating officer issued notices to Giribala Singh on May 13 and May 14 directing her to cooperate in the investigation, but “she did not turn up.” Even after securing anticipatory bail, the state alleged, she continued to evade investigators.
The petition states that a notice sent through WhatsApp on May 20 seeking her appearance for questioning went unanswered despite being seen. It further alleges that when a police officer visited her residence on May 21, her domestic help informed police that she was unavailable and refused to accept the notice.
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“Thus, it is apparent that she is not cooperating in the investigation and is blatantly violating the terms and conditions of the order of grant of anticipatory bail,” the government argued, adding that she was “deliberately avoiding interrogation and gives evasive replies.”
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
