The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken into custody Giribala Singh, mother-in-law of deceased Twisha Sharma, following the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s May 27 decision to cancel the anticipatory bail earlier granted to her in the dowry death case involving allegations of cruelty, harassment and domestic violence.
The CBI action on Thursday followed the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s verdict, setting aside the May 15 order passed by a Bhopal Sessions Court granting pre-arrest protection to Singh. The single-judge Bench of Justice Devnarayan Mishra held that the trial court had failed to properly appreciate the evidentiary material available in the case diary, witness statements and allegations levelled by the deceased’s family before granting anticipatory bail.
Sources indicated that Giribala Singh and her son, Samarth Singh, were questioned by the CBI at its Bhopal office in connection with the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Twisha Sharma’s death.
The case pertains to offences registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 relating to cruelty by husband or relatives, dowry-related offences and common intention, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
The matter was subsequently transferred to the CBI for investigation considering the sensitivity and seriousness of the allegations. While cancelling the anticipatory bail, the High Court observed that statements recorded from members of Twisha Sharma’s family since May 13 contained allegations that Giribala Singh, along with her son, had subjected the deceased to sustained harassment and allegedly pressured her to terminate her pregnancy.
The Court also took into account electronic evidence, including WhatsApp chats allegedly exchanged by the deceased prior to her death, as well as post-mortem findings indicating the presence of multiple ante-mortem injuries on her body. The High Court observed that the material placed on record required deeper investigation and custodial interrogation could not be ruled out at the present stage.
The prosecution and the CBI had further submitted before the High Court that Giribala Singh had allegedly not cooperated fully with the investigation despite issuance of notices by the investigating agency. The agency argued that custodial interrogation was necessary in view of the gravity of allegations, the evidentiary material collected and the stage of investigation.
Accepting these submissions, the High Court held that the order granting anticipatory bail suffered from serious infirmities and warranted judicial interference. Following cancellation of the relief, the CBI took Giribala Singh into custody on Thursday as part of the ongoing criminal investigation into the alleged dowry death of Twisha Sharma.
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