Zubeen Garg death case: Amritprabha’s bail puts SIT chargesheet under scanner

Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court’s decision to grant bail to singer Amritprabha Mahanta in the Zubeen Garg death case has triggered fresh questions over the evidence collected by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), with the late singer’s family and well-wishers renewing their demand for justice.

Garg’s wife, Garima Saikia Garg, family members, musicians and fans staged a peaceful protest at Zubeen Khetra in Sonapur on Tuesday, hours after Amritprabha was released from Haflong sub-jail in Dima Hasao district at around 6.30 am.

Amritprabha was released four days after the High Court granted her bail on October 9. Justice Pranjal Das granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 50,000, with two sureties of the same amount. She is the first accused in the main case to be released on bail.

In its order, the High Court observed that the investigation materials and prosecution evidence recorded so far did not establish a prima facie case against her on the charges of conspiracy and murder. The court noted that the materials did not substantiate the allegations against her in the chargesheet.

It also noted the absence of any statement or document indicating that Amritprabha had fed alcohol to Garg, played a role in his travel to Singapore or the room arrangements, participated in the yacht trip, or influenced his decision to swim without a life jacket.

The court observed that denying bail at this stage, after 369 days in custody and with 124 prosecution witnesses already examined, would amount to a travesty of justice.

The ruling has prompted questions from Garg’s supporters about the strength of the prosecution’s case, given that the SIT had filed a chargesheet with more than 12,000 pages.

The chargesheet had been welcomed by several of Garg’s friends and family members, although some members of the legal fraternity had criticised it as a “cleansheet rather than a chargesheet”.

In December 2025, after the SIT submitted the chargesheet, Garima had said the investigation began on the basis of the FIR filed by the family and had proceeded on expected lines. She had expressed gratitude to the investigating agency and faith in the judiciary.

Amritprabha’s bail has now renewed questions among the singer’s well-wishers about the evidence supporting the allegations against her.

“We thought that the chargesheet filed in the case after a detailed investigation was leak-proof. Then how come one of the prime accused managed to get bail from the high court,” asked Mridu Saikia, a well-wisher of Garg and his family.

Saikia referred to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statement in the Assam Assembly on November 25, 2025, that Garg’s death was a plain and simple murder committed by one person with the help of two others, and that a strong chargesheet would be filed.

The SIT filed the chargesheet on December 12, 2025. The main portion ran to around 2,500 pages, while supporting documents took the total beyond 12,000 pages.

Four accused — Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddhartha Sharma, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta — were charged with murder under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with conspiracy and related offences. Sandipan Garg faces a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya face charges of criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

The two security officers had earlier secured bail in a separate case related to financial transactions but remain in custody in the death case.

The other accused remain in jail. The Supreme Court has deferred Shyamkanu Mahanta’s bail plea to November 4. Amritprabha’s defence counsel had argued before the High Court that the chargesheet lacked sufficient material to substantiate the allegations against her.

Gauhati High Court advocate Abdur Rezzaque Bhuyan described the bail order as a failure on the part of the SIT to produce sufficient evidence against Amritprabha.

“What to say about Amritprabha’s bail. It is a complete failure on the part of the SIT to submit evidence in the court. The court rightfully said that  there is no material evideice to indicate the involvement of Amritprabha in the case. There is no prima facie evidence against her in the chargesheet or in the statement of any eyewitness of the case,” Bhuyan said.

“The SIT had visited Singapore only after a moth of the incident. What evidence they can collct? Nothing,” he said.

Bhuyan also said Garima should have sought advice from a legal team. “But it is too late now,” he said.

Asked whether the other accused would also get bail, he said, “It is difficult to presume. But we hope for the best.”

Garg, 52, died on September 19, 2025, while swimming in the sea off Lazarus Island in Singapore. He had travelled to Singapore to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival, organised by Shyamkanu Mahanta.

Singapore authorities and a coroner’s court ruled out foul play, concluding that the singer was severely intoxicated and drowned after declining a life jacket.

Questions have also been raised over the alleged deletion or tampering of videos recorded by Amritprabha on the yacht, as well as concerns about the family’s safety if more accused secure bail.

The demand for justice following Garg’s death led to the constitution of the SIT after multiple FIRs were registered across Assam. The trial is under way before a special fast-track court, and the allegations against all the accused remain subject to judicial determination.

Reacting to the bail, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi alleged that the development vindicated his earlier concerns about the investigation and the government’s handling of the case.

“The Chief Minister was right when he said that water cannot slip away, but people can. We had said then that this was a plan made with the Assembly elections in mind. After the elections are over, the accused will be released one by one through a well-planned process. Many criticised this statement of ours at the time. But today, as events have unfolded, our apprehension appears to be coming true,” Gogoi said.

He questioned the government’s preparation of the chargesheet and its handling of evidence.

“The Chief Minister had said in the Assembly that one person committed the murder and the rest assisted. But how successful has the government been in preparing a strong chargesheet, placing the evidence properly and firmly establishing the case? What has come out in the reports today raises many questions,” he said.

Gogoi also questioned the differing treatment of the accused, alleging that some had received security and returned home after giving testimony, while others remained in jail. He asked whether the arrests and continued detention had been influenced by the Assembly elections.

“The people of Assam, who seek justice for the death of Zubeen Garg, the artiste of their hearts, want transparency and an impartial investigation in every aspect of this case. No kind of political calculation or compromise can be acceptable on the question of justice for Zubeen Garg,” he added.