Assam court to decide on bail plea of three accused in Zubeen Garg death case today

The Kamrup Metropolitan District and Sessions Court is scheduled to hear and decide the bail petitions of three accused in the Zubeen Garg death case on January 30, Friday.

 

The court is considering the bail pleas of singer Amritprabha Mahanta and Zubeen Garg’s personal security officers (PSOs) Paresh Baishya and Nandeshwar Bora. An order on their bail applications is expected later in the day.

 

Earlier, during a hearing on January 22, two accused, North East India Festival director Shyamkanu Mahanta and the late singer’s cousin Sandipan Garg withdrew their bail petitions. Mahanta has been charged with murder, while Sandipan Garg, a suspended Assam Police officer, has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

 

Two other accused in the case, Garg’s secretary Siddhartha Sharma and band member Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, have not applied for bail so far.

 

During the previous hearing, the accused appeared virtually, while Zubeen Garg’s wife Garima and his sister Palmee Borthakur were present in court. Speaking to reporters, Garima said the prosecution strongly opposed the bail pleas and expressed satisfaction with the arguments presented.

 

Zubeen Garg died under mysterious circumstances on September 19 while attending the North East India Festival in Singapore, where he reportedly drowned while swimming in the sea. Following public demand, the Assam government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which filed its chargesheet on December 12.

 

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According to the SIT chargesheet, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddhartha Sharma, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta have been charged with murder. Sandipan Garg faces charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while the two PSOs have been charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.
 

Earlier, the state cabinet appointed a five-member team of special public prosecutors, headed by senior advocate Ziaul Kamar, with Brojendra Mohan Choudhury as additional public prosecutor and Kishor Dutta, Pranjal Dutta and Vikash Jammar as assistant public prosecutors.

 

The case continues to draw widespread attention across Assam as the court prepares to rule on the bail pleas later today.