Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday, November 4, denied bail to retired judge Giribala Singh, an accused in the dowry-death case of her daughter-in-law Twisha Sharma, Live Law reported. A single-judge bench of Justice Ajay Kumar Nirankari held that a thorough investigation into the accused's role and the allegations of mental harassment remains necessary, IANS reported.

Source: Live Law

The court had reserved its order on October 26 after hearing both sides — the development Awaaz Punjab reported at the time — and pronounced the verdict on Wednesday. In its order, the bench said: “Considering the overall facts and circumstances of the case, the nature and gravity of the allegations, the material collected during investigation, the circumstances immediately preceding the death of the deceased, the CCTV footage, the post-mortem reports and, particularly, the fact that further investigation under Section 193(9) of the BNSS is still in progress and important forensic reports and digital extraction reports are awaited, this Court is not inclined to enlarge the applicant on bail at this stage.”

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

Twisha Sharma, 33, a Noida resident and former Miss Pune winner, was found hanging at her husband's residence in Bhopal's Katara Hills on May 12. Her family has alleged persistent domestic violence and harassment by the in-laws and demanded a second post-mortem to ascertain the actual cause of death. The allegations are yet to be decided by a trial court. An FIR was initially registered under Sections 80(2) (dowry death), 85 (cruelty) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

The case was initially registered at Katara Hills police station and was later transferred to the CBI on the orders of the Supreme Court. Giribala Singh was earlier granted anticipatory bail by a Bhopal trial court on May 15; the State and the deceased's parents challenged that order, and the High Court quashed the anticipatory bail on May 27. She thereafter remained in custody, with her judicial custody extended on June 30 and July 14. The CBI subsequently arrested both Giribala Singh and her son Samarth Singh, who is also an accused in the case.

In her regular bail plea, Giribala Singh claimed the deceased was suffering from depression and that the allegations of dowry harassment were false. The court examined the case diary and noted pregnancy-related disputes and a recorded conversation relating to MTP pills, and observed that WhatsApp conversations cited in the investigation suggested the deceased was allegedly subjected to continuous mental harassment and cruelty. Rejecting the plea, the court said the absence of mens rea could not be examined in isolation from the other material collected in the investigation. Data extracted from the deceased's iPhone and the authenticity report on the home's CCTV DVR footage, sent to the CFSL in New Delhi, are still awaited.