Bhopal, May 23 (IANS) A packed courtroom, intense public scrutiny and a visibly calm demeanour marked the appearance of the accused Samarth Singh before the Court of Judicial Magistrate Anudita Gupta in Bhopal on Saturday, where he was sent to seven days of police remand in connection with the alleged suicide case of his wife Twisha Sharma.

Samarth was brought to the Magistrate court amid heavy police security, and as he stood in the dock, all eyes in the courtroom remained fixed on him, closely observing his expressions and conduct during the proceedings.

Despite the gravity of the allegations and mounting public attention surrounding the case, he appeared calm and composed throughout the hearing. He was seen interacting normally with his lawyers and showed no visible signs of nervousness or fear.

Notably, unlike his appearance before the Jabalpur District Court on Friday — where he had covered his face with a mask and cap while surrendering — Samarth appeared in the Bhopal court without concealing his face.

Twisha’s brother Major Harshit Sharma, who was also present during the proceedings at very close distance, later claimed that Samarth displayed no remorse over his wife’s death.

“I have not spoken to Samarth, nor did I express any desire to do so. However, there was absolutely no remorse visible on his face regarding his wife’s death. There was no sign of grief over his wife’s demise on his face when he appeared in court,” Major Harshit Sharma said.

Harshit also added that the coming week would be critical after the court granted police seven days’ custody of Samarth Singh.

“The court has remanded Samarth to custody for seven days; consequently, this coming week will be extremely crucial. We hope that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) takes over the case as soon as possible and initiates its investigation,” he said talking to IANS.

Reiterating family of Twisha Sharma’s demand for a CBI probe, Harshit alleged that the police had delayed action in the matter.

“Our only hope lies with the CBI, which is why we have been repeatedly demanding their intervention. Had the police done their job properly, it would not have taken this long to arrest Samarth,” he added.

Though both Samarth Singh and Harshit Sharma remained present inside the same courtroom during the hearing, there was neither any conversation nor eye contact between them, IANS said.

The courtroom was crowded mainly with lawyers, many of whom knew Samarth personally as he practiced as a criminal defence lawyer at the Bhopal District Court. His prominence within the legal circles of Bhopal was further reinforced by the stature of his mother, Giribala Singh, who served in the same judicial institution in several capacities ranging from Magistrate to Principal District Judge before retiring in February 2023.

Giribala Singh has also been named a co-accused in the case related to Twisha Sharma’s death.

Samarth Singh was arrested on Friday after surrendering before a court in Jabalpur, nearly 10 days after he allegedly went missing following Twisha Sharma’s death, a case that has triggered widespread public attention across Madhya Pradesh.

–IANS

pd/khz