Bhopal: A retired judge Giribala Singh was arrested from her residence in Bhopal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday.
The high-profile arrest occurred after a CBI team arrived at her Bag Mughaliya extension home following a directive from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which quashed her anticipatory bail.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday quashed the anticipatory bail granted to retired judge Giribala Singh, mother-in-law of Twisha Sharma, whose death at her matrimonial home in Bhopal on May 12 has sparked a high-profile dowry and harassment case now under CBI investigation.
A sessions court had granted Giribala Singh anticipatory bail on May 15. Her son Samarth Singh, a lawyer, is already in CBI custody. The agency re-registered the state police FIR after taking over the probe, with both mother and son named as accused.
Vacation judge Devnarayan Mishra, in a 17-page order, quashed the bail “in light of the factual aspects of the case and the allegations levelled against the respondent.” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, told the court the manner in which anticipatory bail was obtained raised doubts about whether the trial court had properly applied its mind.
The CBI alleged Giribala Singh leaked a selective clip of CCTV footage on social media after police seized the recordings, with intent to tamper with evidence. Her sister and brother-in-law, both senior Bhopal doctors, were allegedly present during the first post-mortem at AIIMS Bhopal on May 13. The agency argued custodial interrogation was necessary given the accused’s alleged influence.
Twisha and Samarth married on December 19, 2025. According to prosecutors, her pregnancy was allegedly discovered in April, following which she was accused of infidelity and allegedly forced to abort. On May 12, she called her mother on WhatsApp alleging her husband was shouting at her. The call dropped; at 10.37 pm, her mother-in-law answered a return call from Twisha’s parents. Twisha was found hanging that night.
The Advocate General submitted that injuries on the deceased’s body could not have been caused merely by removing her from the ligature, raising questions about the circumstances of her death.
Victim’s counsel Anurag Shrivastava welcomed the ruling. “Finally, justice is done in the Twisha case,” he told PTI, adding that Giribala Singh, having served in the judiciary for 36 years, should “gracefully surrender before the CBI.”