Bhopal:
The judicial custody of retired judge Giribala Singh and her lawyer son, Samarth Singh, accused in the suspicious death case of actor-model Twisha Sharma, has been extended by another two weeks till July 14 by a Bhopal court. The order comes amid questions raised by her brother, Major Harshit Sharma, on the timing of an alleged theft at Giribala Singh’s house that he termed as a conspiracy to conceal evidence.
The two accused were produced through video conferencing on Tuesday. During the hearing, the CBI sought an extension of judicial custody, filed applications seeking permission to take their voice samples and asked the court to direct Samarth Singh to give the password of his seized laptop.
Twisha Sharma’s family lawyer, Ankur Pandey, said the court granted the CBI’s request after hearing both sides.
“Today, the CBI filed an application seeking a further extension of 14 days. The counsel representing the accused opposed it. However, considering all facts, the court extended the judicial custody of Giribala and Samarth Singh by another 14 days. The next hearing is scheduled for July 14,” Pandey said.
Pandey said the CBI recovered certain audio recordings during the investigation and wants voice specimens of both accused for forensic comparison. He said Samarth Singh’s laptop, seized earlier and sent to CFSL Delhi, could not be fully examined because it is password-protected.
The court will hear these applications on July 3. During the proceeding, the court was informed that the second post-mortem report in the case has not yet been submitted. Twisha Sharma’s father said the final report is awaited as technical examinations, including DNA analysis, are still pending.
“The post-mortem report is in a critical stage. Certain technical analyses, such as DNA analysis, are still pending. The lab generally takes time for such procedures. They have said the complete report, along with final findings, will be submitted together,” he said.
Twisha Sharma’s brother, Major Harshit Sharma, questioned the timing of the alleged theft at Giribala Singh’s house.
“If you look at the sequence of events, their efforts are quite evident. First, at the eleventh hour, a theft took place. Now, whether this was actually a theft or part of a conspiracy to conceal something is for the competent Bhopal Police to determine. However, all the facts are before everyone. We are not making these claims; these are the facts being stated by their own lawyers in the courtroom,” he said.
The defence raised the issue of the alleged burglary at Giribala Singh’s house during the hearing and requested that she be taken to the police station concerned to identify the items allegedly stolen. The CBI opposed the plea, saying the theft case and the Twisha Sharma death case are separate matters.
The court said any such request must be made through a formal written application and no order could be passed on the basis of an oral plea.
The burglary allegedly took place on the intervening night of June 27-28, when intruders entered Giribala Singh’s house and reportedly tried to steal gold jewellery and a file containing documents related to the retired judge and her son. The suspects allegedly fled after hearing the siren of a police patrol vehicle. Police detained two people for questioning after examining CCTV footage.
