Twisha Sharma death case: Absconding husband approaches Madhya Pradesh High Court for pre-arrest bail

After receiving no relief from a lower court, Samarth Singh, husband of actor-model Twisha Sharma and currently absconding in the dowry harassment case linked to her death, has approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking anticipatory bail. In the plea, he argued that his family has been cooperating with investigators and that custodial interrogation was unnecessary.

The anticipatory bail petition, filed as a Miscellaneous Criminal Case (MCrC) before a single bench through his brother Siddharth Singh, contended that the prosecution’s version of events was based entirely “on imagination and presumptions”. The plea further stated that all crucial evidence in the matter had already been seized by investigators.

The High Court petition was filed after a magistrate court earlier denied anticipatory bail to Samarth Singh while granting relief to his mother, Giribala Singh, a retired district and sessions judge who is also named in the FIR.

Although Samarth Singh has remained untraceable since the FIR was lodged, the 69-page application maintained that both he and his mother had continued to cooperate with the probe.

Investigators have since announced a cash reward for information leading to Samarth Singh’s arrest and have also moved court seeking cancellation of his passport.

Twisha Sharma, 33, was found hanging at her residence in Bhopal’s Katara Hills locality on May 12. Her family accused her husband and in-laws of subjecting her to dowry-related harassment that allegedly drove her to death. The Singh family, however, has alleged that she was addicted to drugs.

Police subsequently registered a case under Sections 80(2), 85 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, against Samarth Singh and Giribala Singh.

In the bail plea, Samarth Singh questioned the authenticity of WhatsApp chats submitted by the complainant, alleging that they were “edited and incomplete” and had been tampered with, making them unreliable. He also attached screenshots showing financial transactions made to Twisha Sharma and described the allegations of dowry harassment as “very disappointing".

“The entire prosecution story being constructed and built is based on imagination and presumptions,” the petitioner said.

The plea further argued that custodial interrogation was not required as the applicant was a “respectable person” with no criminal records and posed no threat to society or public order if granted bail.

It also assured the court that the accused was willing to furnish adequate surety and comply with any conditions imposed while granting relief.

Speaking to PTI in Jabalpur, advocate Mrigendra Singh, representing the accused, said Twisha Sharma lived with her husband and mother-in-law and shared a cordial relationship with them. According to him, disagreements between the couple were limited to minor domestic issues arising from differences in family backgrounds and the fact that they were newly married.

The lawyer also criticised the police decision to announce a reward for Samarth Singh’s arrest, calling it “wrong”. He argued that taking such action without a court warrant undermines the intent behind anticipatory bail provisions.

“We are going to file a writ petition for a CBI probe," he said.

While Samarth Singh has sought anticipatory bail, Twisha's family decided to challenge the anticipatory bail granted to his mother Giribala Singh, a retired district and sessions judge and current chairperson of the Bhopal Consumer Court.

Twisha's family lawyer, Ankur Pandey told PTI that they would contest the anticipatory bail granted to Giribala Singh on the ground that the subordinate court ignored evidence and provisions related to presumption in dowry death cases under section 118 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023.

(With PTI inputs)