The judicial custody of Samarth Singh and his mother, former judge Giri Bala Singh, both accused in the high-profile death of actor Twisha Sharma, has been extended until June 30 following a detailed court hearing. The duo was presented before the court via video conferencing on Tuesday as their previous remand period concluded. During the extensive three-and-a-half-hour hearing, which commenced at noon, legal representatives from both sides raised several critical contentions, while Giri Bala Singh submitted specific personal demands to the court. Addressing the court during the proceedings, Giri Bala Singh requested that the jail administration provide her with complete, uncensored copies of both Hindi and English newspapers. She alleged that the publications currently distributed to her in prison have news segments related to her ongoing trial physically cut out or heavily censored. She urged the court to direct prison officials to allow her access to untouched newspapers so she can stay informed about current affairs without administrative interference.

 

Giri Bala Singh also complained that the standard twenty-minute time limit permitted for legal consultations with defense attorneys inside the prison is highly inadequate given the gravity and complexity of the case. She petitioned the court to allocate more time for these critical legal briefings. Furthermore, she requested that her son and co-accused, Samarth Singh, be allowed to attend these legal meetings alongside her to facilitate the collective preparation of their defense strategy. Highlighting the intense public scrutiny surrounding the investigation, the former judge expressed strong objections to the continuous media statements being issued by the family and relatives of Twisha Sharma. She urged the court to issue restraining directives to prevent public statements that could potentially prejudice the ongoing probe. Additionally, she argued that the seizure memo for the medicines confiscated during the investigation had not been shared with the defense counsel, demanding that a certified copy of the seizure report and the CBI’s custody extension application be made available.

 

Meanwhile, representing the victim’s family, advocate Ankur Pandey informed the court that the second autopsy report remains a critical piece of evidence. The central agency, however, stated during the hearing that it has not yet received the official copy of this secondary post-mortem report. Pandey countered that the family had requested the second autopsy findings primarily to facilitate the issuance of the victim’s official death certificate, which remains pending due to the delayed report.