Samarth Singh, the prime accused in the high-profile death case of Twisha Sharma, was produced before the First Class Judicial Magistrate Anudita Gupta on Saturday at 3 pm. Following the hearing, the court remanded him to seven days of police custody. Furthermore, based on an application filed by the family of the deceased, the court has ordered the seizure of the passport belonging to the accused. Following the arrest, Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar stated that any associates found to have assisted the accused while he was absconding over the past nine days would also be named as co-accused in the case. The police brought the accused to Bhopal from Jabalpur late Friday night at approximately 1:58 am. He was held at the Katara Hills Police Station, where security measures were heightened with barricades and additional police deployment.

 

Before his appearance in the court, the accused underwent a medical examination at JP Hospital in Bhopal. Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar noted that after the incident, the investigation was initially handled by six teams, later expanded to ten. He acknowledged that while the police were actively searching for the accused, they did not anticipate that he would surrender directly by appearing in the court. Now that the police have secured a seven-day remand, the investigation will focus on the details of his absconding period, including who provided him shelter, who aided his escape, and the individuals with whom he remained in contact.

 

During a press conference held on Saturday afternoon, the Police Commissioner stated that the police have sought the remand to conduct a thorough interrogation. This will cover all aspects of the case, including the night of the incident, family disputes, mobile chat history, call details, and his activities while on the run. Regarding the retired judge Giribala Singh, the Commissioner stated that she had been issued three notices to record her statement but had failed to appear. Consequently, an application has been filed in the court to cancel her anticipatory bail due to lack of co-operation in the investigation. The second post-mortem examination of the deceased is scheduled for Sunday.

 

A specialised medical team comprising four senior doctors from AIIMS Delhi has been constituted for this purpose. The team was expected to arrive in Bhopal on Saturday evening via a State Government chartered flight, and the entire procedure will be videographed. Meanwhile, the investigation into the crime scene continues, with the SIT having seized the DVR and CCTV footage from the residence. The case is expected to be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by Monday, at which point the entire case diary and related documents will be handed over to the central agency. Twisha’s father, Navnidhi Sharma, expressed that the prospect of a

 

CBI investigation has brought hope for justice to the family. In a related administrative action, the Bar Council of India has issued an order suspending the advocate license of Samarth Singh. Until further notice from the committee, the accused is prohibited from appearing before any court, tribunal, or authority, nor is he permitted to file a ‘Vakalatnama’ or represent himself as a legal practitioner. On Saturday afternoon, as the SIT arrived at the court with the accused, a large group of associates gathered outside. Heavy police security, including ACP Rajneesh Kashyap, ACP Manish Bhardwaj, and two station house officers, remained deployed throughout the proceedings. The police arrived with the accused at 3 pm and departed with him at 4:10 pm following the court session.