The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday (May 25, 2026) granted two days to retired judge Giribala Singh to file her reply on two pleas challenging the anticipatory bail granted to her in the Twisha Sharma dowry death and harassment case, with the State Government telling the court that she was not cooperating with the probe.

The development comes on a day when the special investigating team (SIT) of the Bhopal Police interrogated Ms. Singh for the first time since the FIR was filed in the case on May 15. Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar ruled out allegations of tampering with the CCTV camera footage from Ms. Singh’s house, where Twisha Sharma was found dead on the night of May 12.

Meanwhile, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team from New Delhi was sent to Bhopal and is slated to take over the case following the Madhya Pradesh government’s recommendation.  

The High Court, which had earlier asked Ms. Singh to appear before it on May 25, granted her time after her lawyer, Enosh George, said his client was yet to receive a copy of the petition filed by Twisha Sharma’s father, Navnidhi Sharma, challenging the anticipatory bail granted by a local Bhopal court. The court was also hearing another plea filed by the State Government challenging the bail. 

“Piyush Kumar Tiwari, learned counsel for the applicant, is directed to supply a set of petitions to respondent nos.1 [State of Madhya Pradesh] and 2 [Giribala Singh] during the course of the day,” a single Bench of Justice Devnarayan Mishra said, while asking Ms. Singh’s counsel to file a reply by the next hearing on May 27. 

The police are also questioning Twisha Sharma’s husband, Samarth Singh, a lawyer, and verifying the information obtained from him and his mother, Mr. Kumar told reporters.

“Our questioning is going on [with Mr. Singh] on all aspects. A police team went [to her house] and interrogated her on some points while further questioning is yet to be done,” he said. 

Responding to a reporter’s questions about allegations of CCTV footage tampering and calls allegedly made to CCTV camera operators, Mr. Kumar said, “There is no tampering done with the CCTV.”

The Police Commissioner also said bank transactions and other details are being checked to ascertain Mr. Singh’s whereabouts while he was absconding for over a week. 

“As soon as we get any information, we will hand over the case diary to the CBI. There is no communication yet,” he said. 

Another senior police officer told The Hindu that Samarth Singh had moved across various locations while absconding, including staying in Jabalpur for a few days. 

“He has also admitted to various differences and arguments between the couple in the recent past, including one on the day of her death over a trip. They had also been having differences since her pregnancy,” the officer said, requesting anonymity. 

When asked about the alleged delay in recovering various items, including the rope allegedly used for hanging, the officer said, “There was some delay at the beginning, but all such items were recovered soon after the FIR was lodged.” 

The latest developments come a day after Twisha Sharma’s body was cremated in Bhopal following a second autopsy ordered by the High Court. The autopsy was performed by an expert team from AIIMS New Delhi. 

The 33-year-old model was found hanging in her marital home on the night of May 12, just five months after marrying Samarth Singh. Her family has alleged dowry demands and mental harassment by her in-laws, along with procedural lapses, institutional bias and lack of cooperation by the local police since the death. 

With inputs from Devesh K. Pandey in New Delhi