Bhopal: Retired district judge Giribala Singh, mother-in-law of Twisha Sharma, who died under mysterious circumstances at her matrimonial home recently, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday.
A CBI team reached Giribala’s residence earlier during the day and took her into custody. Her anticipatory bail was quashed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday.
The agency had opposed the anticipatory bail plea in connection with the death case of the actor-model, telling the Madhya Pradesh High Court that her custodial interrogation was essential for the probe.
The agency alleged that the former judge had “left no stone unturned” to malign her the 33-year-old daughter-in-law’s character, as reported by moneycontrol. The CBI also accused Twisha’s in-laws of dowry harassment, attempting to destroy evidence, and forcing her to terminate a pregnancy.
Injuries were found on Twisha Sharma’s wrist and elbow, and her in-laws had failed to provide any satisfactory explanation for those marks, the agency informed the court.
A medical query report ruled out the possibility that the injuries were caused while the body was being taken down from the ligature, the CBI submitted.
These submissions assume significance as questions had recently been raised over injury marks noted in Twisha’s post-mortem examination report.
WhatsApp chats recovered by the agency suggested Giribala Singh and Twisha’s husband, Samarth Singh, had questioned her character after learning about her pregnancy, the CBI stated, referring to evidence collected during the investigation.
Twisha was later compelled to undergo an abortion after accusations were made that the unborn child belonged to someone else, the agency alleged. The matter is currently under investigation, with the agency continuing its probe into the circumstances surrounding the death.
A single judge of the Jabalpur bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court heard petitions challenging the anticipatory bail granted to Giribala in the alleged dowry death case, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta arguing that the relief was granted in “a hurried manner”, despite the seriousness of the allegations.
