Guwahati: The hearing on the bail application of Shyamkanu Mahanta, one of the seven accused in the Zubeen Garg death case, concluded on Thursday, with the fast-track court reserving its order till April 30.Judge Sharmila Bhuyan stated, “Hearing on the bail petition for accused Shyamkanu Mahanta is completed. Order reserved.”The hearing began on Wednesday, with Mahanta’s counsel refuting the prosecution’s arguments. Mahanta, organiser of the North East India Festival in Singapore, had filed the bail plea on April 10, a day after the Assam assembly polls.The court also heard another petition filed by Mahanta seeking the return of his seized documents and personal belongings.
His counsel P Borah argued that Mahanta should be granted bail as he would cooperate with the investigation and was not a flight risk.Special public prosecutor Z Kamar opposed the plea, stating that discrepancies existed between Mahanta’s statements and the evidence, particularly regarding the supply of alcohol to the late singer. He added that while the accused claimed to have sent an email advising that Zubeen should not be given alcohol, evidence suggested he had asked an Assamese resident in Singapore to purchase a bottle for the singer.
Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma also filed a bail petition on Thursday, with his hearing scheduled for Friday.The singer died while swimming in the sea on Sept 19 last year in Singapore, where he had gone to attend the fourth North East India Festival (NEIF).Besides Mahanta and Siddharth, other accused include Zubeen’s bandmate Shekharjyoti Goswami, co-singer Amritprabha Mahanta, cousin Sandipon Garg, and two PSOs — Nandeswar Borah and Paresh Baishya — all currently lodged in jail.Murder charges have been framed against four of them — Shyamkanu, Siddharth, Shekharjyoti, and Amritprabha — while Sandipon faces charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The two PSOs have been charged with related offences, including criminal conspiracy and breach of trust.
