Public prosecutor lacks facilities to review 12000 page chargesheet: Lawyer in Zubeen Garg case

Proceedings in the murder case of singer Zubeen Garg formally commenced on Monday, December 22 with the first hearing held in the court of the Sessions Judge. With this, all further hearings and legal proceedings in the matter will now be conducted before the Sessions Court.

The case has been registered as Sessions Case No. 256/2025, under which the trial will continue. Advocate Dhrubajyoti Das is appearing on behalf of the accused.

Legal sources indicated that bail applications for two personal security officers (PSOs) of Zubeen Garg may be filed shortly. The possibility arises as the two bodyguards have not been charged with murder. Under the sections invoked against them, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was required to file the charge sheet within 60 days. However, the charge sheet pertaining to the two PSOs was submitted after 84 days, along with the charge sheets of the other five accused, making them potentially eligible for default bail.

Advocate Apurba Sharma, speaking on the developments, said that as of now, no bail application has been filed by any of the accused. He also raised concerns regarding the handling of the charge sheet, stating that the government submitted the document to the public prosecutor in digital form via a pen drive.

“It is unfortunate that the public prosecutor does not even have access to a computer to examine the charge sheet. Is it practically possible to go through nearly 12,000 pages without proper facilities?” Sharma remarked. He stressed that the government must ensure adequate infrastructure for the effective conduct of the trial and, if necessary, appoint two to three additional advocates to form a strong prosecution team.

According to Sharma, strengthening the legal framework would help ensure justice for Zubeen Garg. He further noted that the accused have not yet received hard copies of the charge sheet. Taking note of this, the court directed that hard copies of the charge sheet be provided to all accused within the next seven days and instructed the SIT to comply with the order within the stipulated timeframe.