Twisha Sharma dowry death case reaches MP High Court as both families file petitions

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 802, 85 and 35 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with relevant provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act against Samarth Singh and his mother.Police have announced a cash reward of Rs 30,000 for information leading to Samarth Singhs arrest and also approached the court seeking revocation of his passport.Talking to PTI Videos, defence counsel Mrigendra Singh said the couple shared cordial relations and only had minor marital disputes.

The legal battle between the families of deceased ex-model-turned-actor Twisha Sharma and her absconding husband Samarth Singh intensified on Thursday, with both sides moving the MP High Court in connection with the case.

While Samarth Singh has sought anticipatory bail, Twisha's family decided to challenge the anticipatory bail granted to his mother Giribala Singh, a retired district and sessions judge and current chairperson of the Bhopal Consumer Court.

Twisha's family lawyer, Ankur Pandey told PTI 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's plea could come up for hearing on Friday, while the petition filed by Twisha's family may be heard on Monday.

A Bhopal court had earlier rejected Samarth Singh's anticipatory bail plea while granting relief to Giribala Singh.

Meanwhile, Samarth Singh, who has been absconding since the FIR was registered, claimed in his plea that he and his family cooperated with the investigation, and no custodial interrogation was required as substantial material had already been seized.

His plea also alleged that WhatsApp chats submitted by the complainant were ''edited and incomplete'' and could not be relied upon.

Twisha Sharma, 33, was found hanging at her matrimonial home in Bhopal's Katara Hills area 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), 85 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with relevant provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act against Samarth Singh and his mother.

Police have announced a cash reward of Rs 30,000 for information leading to Samarth Singh's arrest and also approached the court seeking revocation of his passport.

Talking to PTI Videos, 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.