Guwahati: The Special Fast Track court in Guwahati heard Shyamkanu Mahanta’s bail application on Wednesday, April 22, in the death case of Assam’s singer Zubeen Garg, with the prosecution firmly opposing his release.
Mahanta, associated with the North East India Festival as its organiser, submitted his bail application on April 10, soon after the conclusion of polling for the Assam Assembly elections.
The defence maintained that Mahanta has been cooperating fully with the investigation and is unlikely to flee. They further argued that his continued detention for over seven months strengthens his case for bail.
Advocate Rajdeep Banerjee joined the hearing via video link, while Pran Bora appeared in person before the court during the proceedings.
The prosecution, led by Special Public Prosecutor Ziaur Kamar, objected to the plea and said there are inconsistencies between Mahanta’s version of events and the evidence collected, particularly regarding matters linked to alcohol arrangements for the late singer.
He told the court that while Mahanta had claimed he sent a message instructing that alcohol should not be served to Garg, evidence indicates he had earlier asked an Assamese person based in Singapore to arrange a bottle for him.
The prosecutor also stated that the length of custody cannot be treated as sufficient ground for bail.
After the defence requested time to reply to these arguments, the judge postponed the hearing to Thursday morning.
In a separate development, the court did not proceed with the bail plea of Siddhartha Sharma, another accused and Garg’s manager, after finding errors in his application. His legal team has been instructed to fix the issues and refile it by Thursday.
Meanwhile, Anita Deka Mahanta, wife of the accused, spoke to the media for the first time since his arrest, saying they are seeking justice and alleging that he has been wrongly detained. She said no innocent person should remain in custody for long.
She added that Mahanta worked to promote Assam’s culture globally and help people better understand its heritage.
According to her, Zubeen Garg had a close association with the festival and would have been saddened by Mahanta’s imprisonment. She also claimed Garg was never pressured and had consistently supported its activities.
The Gauhati High Court set up a dedicated fast-track sessions court on March 16, with support from the state government for its operations.