Former judicial officer Giribala Singh reportedly argued in the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday that while she was upset with her daughter-in-law Twisha Sharma's decision to go for an abortion, she did not push her to suicide.
Sharma allegedly died by suicide in May this year at her marital home in Bhopal. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the probe in the case, flagged sustained mental torture by her husband Samarth Singh and mother-in-law Giribala Singh.
What Giribala Singh said in court
During the hearing of the case at Madhya Pradesh high court, Singh argued that she had not subjected Sharma to any cruelty, news outlet Bar and Bench reported. The submission was made by Singh's counsel before Justice Ajay Kumar Nirankari during the hearing of her bail plea.
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"The mother-in-law was very upset because the daughter-in-law was not listening to her and had gone through with the act. I would like to know which mother-in-law would be happy about this. Natural reaction would be of anger. She has expressed displeasure by not talking to her. Very natural reaction which would happen with any normal human being," the senior counsel representing Giribala Singh was quoted as saying.
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The senior counsel referred to the alleged chats indicating that Singh may have called Sharma a ‘murderer’ for going for an abortion and said, "Both mother-in-law and husband wanted the child, so if she has called her a murderer, does it mean she wants her to commit suicide?"
The counsel added that she may have called Sharma ‘murderer’ in the ‘heat of the moment’, but later apologised to her.
“All that Giribala has said 'murderer, murdered, murderer'... it was in the heat of the moment.,” the counsel was quoted as saying.
Twisha Sharma suicide case
33-year-old Sharma was found dead under suspicious circumstances at her marital home in Bhopal on May 12, just five months after her marriage to Samarth, who is also a lawyer. In the FIR, it was alleged that Samarth had taken her to AIIMS Bhopal, where he claimed that she hanged herself at home at 10.20 pm. The doctors at AIIMS informed the police that she was brought in dead to the hospital.
In its nearly 600-page charge sheet filed before a special court in Bhopal on August 14, CBI has accused Samarth and Giribala Singh of “sustained psychological harm” on Twisha and charged them with abetment to suicide. The agency has kept the probe open into claims of dowry demands and dowry death.
“During investigation it has been established that accused Giribala and Samarth Singh have committed offences punishable under sections 85 (cruelty and harassment caused by husband and his family members), 108 (abetment of suicide), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in connection with the death of Twisha Sharma,” the charge sheet said.