Twisha Sharma dowry death: Both families move HC; lookout notice against absconding husband

The legal battle surrounding the death of 33-year-old former model-turned-actor Twisha Sharma intensified on Thursday, with both her family and her absconding husband, Samarth Singh, moving the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

As the courtroom drama escalated, the Madhya Pradesh Police tightened the noose around Samarth Singh, a lawyer by profession and issued a lookout circular (LOC) to prevent him from fleeing the country and tripled the cash reward for information leading to his arrest to Rs 30,000.

Twisha, a Noida woman who is alleged to have been harassed for dowry, was found dead on the night of May 12 at her marital home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area. Police registered an FIR, charging her husband and her mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, a retired district additional judge (ADJ) with dowry death and harassment.

Samarth Singh, who has been on the run since the FIR was registered, moved the High Court at Jabalpur seeking anticipatory bail after being denied relief by a sessions court, and his plea may come up for hearing on Friday.

Twisha’s family has approached the High Court to challenge a magistrate court’s decision to grant bail to Samarth’s mother Giribala Singh who currently chairs Bhopal Consumer Court. Their petition is likely to come up for hearing on Monday.

Twisha’s father Navnidhi Sharma said that they would be challenging the anticipatory bail plea of Samarth too as and when it comes up for hearing in the high court. “I have full faith in the judiciary and I am sure that my daughter will get justice,” he said.

The Madhya Pradesh police, which has been criticised for alleged shoddy probe as it did not produce the belt with which Twisha is alleged to have hanged herself, is now showing no signs of slowing down.

Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar confirmed the aggressive steps being taken to track down the advocate. “Efforts are on to arrest the main accused in the case. We have enhanced the reward to Rs 30,000 and also issued a lookout notice in the matter,” he said.

The LOC formally alerts immigration authorities at all international airports, seaports, and land border exit points to intercept and detain the person so that he or she does not attempt to leave the country.

Police has also moved a local court for revoking Samarth Singh's passport, which will come up for hearing on May 23.

Advocate Ankur Pandey, representing Twisha’s family, said 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.

It dictates that if a woman dies under unnatural circumstances within seven years of marriage and is proven to have been subjected to dowry-related cruelty by her husband or relatives just before her death, the court shall presume the accused caused her dowry death.

Samarth Singh claimed in his pre-arrest bail petition before the high court that he and his family cooperated with the investigation, and no custodial interrogation was required as substantial material had already been seized.

WhatsApp chats submitted by the complainant were “edited and incomplete” and could not be relied upon, it said.

Twisha Sharma was found hanging at her matrimonial home here on May 12. Her family accused her in-laws of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide, while the Singh family claimed she was addicted to drugs.

Police registered an FIR under Sections 80(2) (dowry death), 85 (husband or relatives of the husband subjecting married woman to cruelty) and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS along with relevant provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act against Samarth Singh and his mother.

Defence counsel Mrigendra Singh said the couple shared cordial relations and only had minor marital disputes. He said the accused side would also file a writ petition seeking a CBI probe into the case.

The lawyer termed the police decision to announce a reward for Samarth Singh’s arrest “wrong”, and said such action without a court warrant defeated the purpose of anticipatory bail provisions.