One of the main accused in the case of Assam’s renowned musician Zubeen Garg, festival organizer Shyamkanu Mahanta, will have his bail plea heard by the Gauhati High Court on Friday. The hearing, presided over by Justice Mridul Kumar Kalita, was rescheduled from its previous date of May 13. Mahanta had appealed to the High Court after his initial bail application was turned down by a lower court. His legal counsel is set to present arguments for bail during the upcoming hearing.
A fast-track court previously denied Mahanta’s bail request, with his representatives seeking bail on various legal grounds while the prosecution opposed it. The court, after considering arguments from both sides, decided against granting bail at that stage. The case revolves around the death of Zubeen Garg, who tragically passed away on September 19 last year while swimming near Lazarus Island in Singapore, a day before his scheduled performance at an event organized by NEIF.
An SIT formed by Assam Police’s CID conducted a thorough investigation post the incident, leading to a chargesheet being filed in December that implicated seven individuals, including Mahanta. Four of the accused face murder charges, escalating the seriousness of the case. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma previously labeled the incident as a “plain and simple murder” during a state Assembly discussion, emphasizing the government’s position.
Conversely, a separate investigation by Singapore Police concluded that there was no evidence of foul play in Garg’s demise. Despite this, authorities in Assam have affirmed that the foreign probe’s findings will not impact the ongoing local investigation and trial. The case has garnered significant public and political interest, with the upcoming bail hearing anticipated to be a pivotal juncture in the legal proceedings.
