Bhopal, Oct 26: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday reserved its order on the bail plea of former judicial officer Giribala Singh, who is in judicial custody in the case accusing her of subjecting her daughter-in-law Twisha Sharma to cruelty and abetting her suicide, Bar and Bench and Live Law reported. Justice Ajay Kumar Nirankari heard detailed arguments through the day and concluded the hearing at around 4:40 p.m.
Source: Bar and Bench
Twisha Sharma, a Noida resident, had married Bhopal-based lawyer Samarth Singh after the two met through a dating app. Barely five months into the marriage, she was found hanging at her matrimonial home in Bhopal on May 12, 2026, reports said. Her family have accused her husband and in-laws of persistent domestic violence and harassment over dowry demands — allegations that remain unproven and are denied by the accused.
Source: Bar and Bench
An FIR was registered at Katara Hills police station in Bhopal, initially under Sections 80(2) (dowry death), 85 (cruelty) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, Live Law reported. The probe was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Source: Live Law
Giribala Singh, a former President of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Madhya Pradesh, was initially granted anticipatory bail by a sessions court; the High Court later cancelled that relief after the State government and the victim's family challenged it. The CBI arrested Giribala Singh and Samarth Singh, and after their CBI custody ended on June 2, a Bhopal court remanded both to judicial custody, Bar and Bench reported.
Source: Bar and Bench
The CBI has charge-sheeted the two under Sections 85 (cruelty) and 108 (abetment of suicide) of the BNS, reports said. The Supreme Court has stayed the trial while considering a petition by Twisha Sharma's father seeking transfer of the proceedings to Delhi, while allowing the bail proceedings to continue.
Source: Bar and Bench
Seeking bail, Giribala Singh's counsel argued that the CBI's own material showed no evidence of abetment against her, that Twisha Sharma's complaints and her last phone call to her father were directed at her husband, and that remarks attributed to Singh were made in the heat of the moment after she opposed her daughter-in-law's abortion decision, IANS reported. Counsel said Singh, 65, has been in custody for about five months, that there is no allegation of evidence tampering since the CBI took over, and that she is not a flight risk.
Source: IANS
The court questioned why Singh had called various persons in the judiciary and civil administration soon after Twisha Sharma's death; her counsel said she was trying to convince people that she had not committed any murder, as was being alleged, Bar and Bench reported.
Source: Bar and Bench
Opposing bail, senior advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, appearing for Twisha Sharma's father, argued that Singh has a propensity to influence the investigation, pointing to those calls to persons in positions of power, and alleged that Sharma was subjected to character assassination in WhatsApp chats and statements — allegations the defence contests, Bar and Bench reported.
Source: Bar and Bench
Additional Solicitor General Sunil Jain, appearing for the CBI, alleged that Singh had instigated the cruelty and the suicide and that there was sufficient material against her; he also submitted that the accused have not been exonerated of the dowry-death allegation, as the investigation into that aspect is still ongoing, reports said. These are submissions and allegations before the court, not findings; the High Court's order on bail is awaited.
Source: Live Law