The Madhya Pradesh High Court has refused to grant regular bail to former judicial officer Giribala Singh in the death of her daughter-in-law Twisha Sharma.
The court referred to WhatsApp conversations, CCTV footage and pending forensic investigations while saying that Twisha had sent messages to family members that she was mentally disturbed and alleged continuous harassment before her death.
Justice Ajay Kumar Nirankari passed the order on October 26, 2026 rejecting Singh’s bail application. The order was made public on November 5.
33-year old Twisha Sharma from Noida married Bhopal lawyer Samarth Singh on December 9, 2025. They had reportedly met through a dating app. But just five months after their marriage Twisha was found hanging at her matrimonial residence in Bhopal on May 12, 2026.
Her family then accused her husband and in-laws of mental harassment, cruelty and dowry related pressure.
What did Twisha Sharma’s WhatsApp chats tell us
One of the pieces of material that was considered by the High Court were Twisha’s WhatsApp messages with her mother and sister-in-law.
In a conversation on May 9, 2026 Twisha was very emotional (according to court order). She reportedly told her sister-in-law that her husband had asked whether the child belonged to him or someone else and if that was why she had terminated her pregnancy.
Twisha allegedly said she could not tolerate it anymore and was suffocating in her matrimonial life. The court also added that she had thought of ending her life.
Another conversation was said to have shown that the accused persons suspected her of taking drugs and blamed disturbed mental condition on substance use instead of understanding what she was allegedly going through.
The court said that these conversations “prima facie indicated the mental distress and alleged harassment which Twisha had suffered before her death”.
Messages and Events Before Her Death
Investigators also looked into communications made just before the incident. In case material filed in connection with bail order Twisha booked train ticket to come back home (Nasirabad) on May 12.
She allegedly complained about aggressive behaviour in telephone conversations with family members that evening and asked them to reach her as soon as possible.
The court also took into account CCTV footage showing Giribala Singh and her son walking towards the terrace of their house just before Twisha was found dead.
Why Did the High Court Deny Bail
Giribala Singh said there was not enough material to link her directly with the cruelty and abetment of suicide. Her lawyers also said she had not interfered in the investigation.
However the High Court said that “several important aspects of the case remained to be examined”.
The court said data extraction from Twisha’s iPhone was still pending. The CCTV recordings from the residence were also sent to CFSL in Delhi to verify continuity and authenticity of those recordings.
Besides this, the court also said that alleged communications between Giribala Singh and some influential persons around the time of the incident needed to be investigated.
The case is being investigated by the CBI. Giribala Singh and her son Samarth Singh have been charge-sheeted for cruelty and abetment of suicide under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of Dowry Prohibition Act respectively.
The High Court said the seriousness of the allegations, evidence available and forensic reports pending did not warrant bail at that stage.
Rejection of bail does not prove guilt. The allegations against the accused will be put to test during trial.
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