Twisha Sharma death case: Absconding husband moves MP High Court for anticipatory bail

Bhopal:

Days after failing to secure relief from a lower court, Samarth Singh, the husband of Twisha Sharma, has approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the dowry harassment case linked to her death.

In the petition filed before a single bench through his brother Siddharth Singh, Samarth claimed that he and his family had fully cooperated with investigators and argued that there was no requirement for custodial interrogation. The plea stated that all important evidence in the matter had already been collected by the police.

Twisha Sharma, 33, was found hanging at her marital residence in Bhopal’s Katara Hills area on May 12. Her family accused her husband and in-laws of mentally harassing her over dowry demands and alleged that they drove her to take the extreme step. However, the Singh family has denied the allegations and claimed that Twisha struggled with drug addiction.

Following the complaint, police registered an FIR against Samarth Singh and his mother, Giribala Singh, under Sections 80(2), 85 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, along with provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

Magistrate court rejects Samarth Singh’s anticipatory bail plea

Earlier, a magistrate court had rejected Samarth Singh’s anticipatory bail application while granting relief to his mother, a retired district and sessions judge who is also named in the FIR.

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

Incomplete and edited chats presented, alleges victim’s husband

In his 69-page plea before the High Court, the absconding accused alleged that the WhatsApp chats submitted by the complainant were incomplete and edited. He further claimed the messages had been tampered with and therefore could not be considered reliable evidence.

The application also included screenshots of money transfers allegedly made to Twisha Sharma. Referring to the accusations of dowry harassment, the petitioner described the allegations as “very disappointing”.

Samarth Singh further claimed that he has no criminal background and described himself as a respectable member of society. The plea added that he was willing to comply with any conditions imposed by the court and provide adequate surety if granted bail.

ALSO READ: Twisha Sharma death case: Court rejects family's plea seeking second postmortem