New Delhi: Ten days after Twisha Sharma was found dead at her in-laws’ residence in Bhopal in a case of alleged dowry death, her husband and main accused Samarth Singh was taken into custody by the Bhopal Police after he went to surrender before a Jabalpur court Friday evening.
“He (Samarth Singh) appeared before the Jabalpur District Court to surrender himself, but the court was not available. After that, the Jabalpur Police took his custody and handed him over to the Bhopal Police,” his lawyer Mrigendra Singh told ThePrint.
He said that they had filed an anticipatory bail application, but withdrew it.
A police officer from Bhopal told ThePrint the accused will be produced before a court in Bhopal within 24 hours.
Earlier on Friday afternoon, Samarth, himself a lawyer, reached the Jabalpur court with his face covered with a white piece of cloth. He was wearing sunglasses, and a cap.
As he reached the court, he was surrounded by a bevy of mediapersons, who questioned him about his alleged involvement in the case.
His lawyer, Mrigendra Singh, lamented that his client has “already been declared guilty in the matter.”
“Twisha’s body is rotting, and it is Samarth whose duty is to perform the duties of a husband,” his counsel said.
“Regarding the second post-mortem, we have agreed, but we have requested for the body to be handed over to us, the in-laws side of the family, because as per Hindu rituals, we would like to cremate Twisha’s body. She was the family’s daughter-in-law. Regarding this, the court has told us to apply separately for the same,” he told ThePrint.
Meanwhile, the Bar Council of India suspended him from practice as an advocate with immediate effect “in view of the seriousness of the allegations, the role of Advocate in killing his wife, the registration of criminal proceedings”.
“It is considered necessary to pass an urgent interim order in the interest of the legal profession and public confidence,” the BCI said in an interim order of suspension.
“Accordingly, Shri Samarth Singh, Advocate, is hereby suspended from practice as an advocate with immediate effect, pending further consideration by the Bar Council of India and/or the appropriate Disciplinary Committee.”
The order said that during the period of suspension, Samarth, “shall not appear, act, plead, practise, file vakalatnama, or hold himself out as entitled to practise before any Court, Tribunal, Authority or forum in India.”
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Other developments
During the day, other key developments took place in the alleged dowry death case.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court permitted a second autopsy by a specialised AIIMS Delhi team, which her family had been demanding.
Hearing a petition filed by Twisha’s family, a single-bench of the High Court asked the state government to make immediate arrangements for flying a specialised team of doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, to Bhopal for the second autopsy, advocate Ankur Pandey, the family’s lawyer, told ThePrint.
The decision came just two days after Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Anudita Gupta in Bhopal rejected the family’s request for a second postmortem and also suggested that the probe so far did not warrant any such action.
Pandey, however, said on Friday that the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s principal seat at Jabalpur allowed the writ petition for a second postmortem, and issued directions to AIIMS Delhi director to constitute a doctors’ committee that will conduct the second postmortem at earliest at AIIMS Bhopal.
The Madhya Pradesh government also recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case and granted consent for the agency to take over the investigation.
Twisha’s family says they are hopeful of a thorough probe, and for the truth to finally come out.
‘We are hopeful’
Twisha Sharma’s sister-in-law, Rashi Sharma, told ThePrint, “We are hopeful. We are grateful for all the support we have had. It is a step further to the justice that Twisha deserved, and we’re really hopeful that everything that’s happening now takes place in a justful manner, because so far all the delays and lapses that have occurred, that’s shameful on the part of MP Police and the government itself.”
The family, Rashi said, awaits justice.
“The influence that these people (Twisha’s in-laws) have used so far to manipulate the investigation, to manipulate the crime scene, the behaviour conducted by Giribala Singh, towards her daughter-in-law. The second post-mortem is to be conducted, and I believe that will be conducted in a justful manner,” Rashi added.
She also talked about the several interviews Twisha’s mother-in-law Giribala Singh, a former judge, gave to the media. “Considering Giribala Singh, the influence that she’s been using, I really do not understand how she’s still appointed.”
What cops say
Meanwhile, Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar addressed a press conference Friday, where he said that the police had issued three notices to the accused persons, and since they had not been cooperating, police approached the High Court, to cancel their anticipatory bail.
He said Twisha’s family named three people, including Samarth Singh.
Regarding allegations that Giribala Singh made multiple phone calls to different people after the incident took place, Commissioner Kumar said a family member had submitted an application about these allegations, so the police have included that in their investigation.
“In cases like these, investigations take time. We registered the FIR within two days itself, so we have taken prompt action in this matter. The remaining investigation is ongoing on our part. The investigation by the CBI is a matter at the government level.”
On allegations raised by the family over the police’s investigation, Commissioner Kumar said “We have completed our investigation in a completely impartial manner, and there has been no delay from our side.”
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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