“No Remorse”: MP High Court Quashes Bail of Ex-Judge in Twisha Sharma Death Case

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday quashed the anticipatory bail granted to retired district judge Giribala Singh in the Twisha Sharma dowry death case, setting aside a controversial order passed by a Bhopal Sessions Court merely hours after the FIR was registered against her.

The order was passed by Justice Devnarayan Mishra after hearing petitions filed by Twisha Sharma’s father Navnidhi Sharma and the State Government challenging the anticipatory bail granted on May 15 by the 10th Additional Sessions Judge, Bhopal.

The case pertains to the death of 33-year-old Twisha Sharma, who was found dead at her matrimonial home in Bhopal on the night of May 12. An FIR was subsequently registered against her husband Samarth Singh and mother-in-law Giribala Singh under Sections 80(2), 85 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.

The anticipatory bail granted to Giribala Singh had triggered significant controversy after it emerged that the relief was granted within hours of registration of the FIR. The High Court, while quashing the protection, held that the trial court failed to adequately consider the seriousness of allegations and the material collected during the investigation.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh Government, argued that the circumstances under which anticipatory bail was secured raised serious doubts regarding the manner in which judicial discretion had been exercised.

“The manner in which anticipatory bail was obtained creates doubt that the trial Court did not consider the aspect relevant for granting anticipatory bail,” Mehta submitted before the Court.

He further contended that after securing bail, the accused had addressed press conferences and made allegations against the deceased instead of cooperating with the investigation.

“In such a serious matter, when the girl, aged about 33 years, lost her life, the respondent has no remorse and has not tried to cooperate with the Investigating Agency. The trial Court did not consider a single line of the prosecution witnesses and totally believed in the defence documents,” he argued.

In a significant observation, the High Court referred to the postmortem findings and noted that multiple injuries found on Twisha Sharma’s body could not be explained merely as injuries sustained while removing her body from the ligature or transporting her to hospital.

The Court observed that while the postmortem report recorded the cause of death as “antemortem hanging by ligature,” six additional injuries were also found on the body. These included four injuries on the left arm, one on the ring finger and one injury on the head.

Importantly, the High Court recorded that the head injury was “antemortem” in nature.

“As per the postmortem report, the death was due to antemortem hanging by ligature, but from the postmortem, it is also clear that six other injuries were found in the body of the deceased… From the query report, it is also clear that these injuries were not caused by taking out the body from the ligature or carrying out to the hospital,” the Court observed.

The Court further held that the Sessions Court had failed to properly consider the allegations levelled by the victim’s family while granting anticipatory bail to the accused.

“In light of the above factual aspects of the case and the allegation levelled against the respondent, the anticipatory bail order dated May 15, 2026, passed by the 10th Additional Sessions Judge, Bhopal… is hereby quashed,” the High Court ruled.

The Central Bureau of Investigation, which formally took over the probe from the Special Investigation Team of the Bhopal Police on May 25, also intervened in the proceedings and supported the plea seeking cancellation of bail.

Deputy Solicitor General Suyash Mohan Guru, appearing for the CBI, submitted before the Court that custodial interrogation of Giribala Singh may be necessary considering the “mystery revolving around the death”, alleged non-cooperation during investigation and the possible involvement of influential accused persons.

He argued that the investigation remained at a crucial initial stage and custodial interrogation could become necessary to uncover the complete chain of events leading to Twisha Sharma’s death.

The CBI also raised concerns regarding the conduct of the initial postmortem examination carried out at AIIMS Bhopal on May 13. According to the agency, Giribala Singh’s sister, Dr. Rajbala Singh Bhadoriya, a private medical practitioner based in Bhopal, along with another private doctor, was allegedly present inside the postmortem room during the first autopsy.

The agency further claimed before the Court that the accused persons had failed to provide any satisfactory explanation regarding the injuries discovered on Twisha Sharma’s body.

Meanwhile, Samarth Singh, Twisha Sharma’s husband, who was arrested by the Bhopal Police on May 22, has now been handed over to the custody of the CBI by a local Bhopal court. The central agency also took him to the matrimonial residence where Twisha Sharma was found dead for inspection and reconstruction of the scene.

With the High Court now cancelling anticipatory bail granted to Giribala Singh, the CBI is expected to intensify its probe, including the possibility of custodial interrogation in the coming days.