Guwahati: Senior lawyer A R Bhuyan, one of the petitioners seeking justice for singer Zubeen Garg, has raised strong objections to the investigation and the chargesheet, saying investigators have failed to follow crucial procedures and gather key evidence.
Speaking to the media, Bhuyan said the court has not yet provided the petitioners with basic case documents.
“As petitioners, we applied before the court seeking justice for Zubeen Garg and requested certified copies of the documents. However, the court has not given them to us yet,” he said.
He accused the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of failing to collect vital evidence from Singapore, where the incident took place.
“If we want to examine the gaps, we must review the case from the beginning. The SIT should have visited the place of occurrence in Singapore, coordinated with the police there and collected crucial material evidence. However, the team did not collect the required evidence properly,” Bhuyan said.
He said the current chargesheet appears weak and incomplete.
“The chargesheet cites only a 500 ml water bottle as evidence. If we rely only on this chargesheet, it is too early to say whether Zubeen Garg will get justice,” he said.
Referring to the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between India and Singapore, Bhuyan said investigators can legally obtain all necessary evidence from Singapore.
“Under MLAT, authorities can collect every relevant piece of evidence from Singapore and present it before Indian courts. However, the investigation has not reflected this process yet,” he said.
He said the prosecution must meet a very high standard to prove criminal conspiracy.
“Establishing conspiracy is not easy. The prosecution must prove it beyond reasonable doubt with credible evidence. If the chargesheet fails to carry such evidence, the court may acquit the accused,” he warned.
He urged investigators to secure visual and forensic proof.
“Authorities must collect video footage from after Zubeen was taken out of the water and place it before the court for analysis. Only when the court receives complete evidence and conducts a proper trial can it deliver punishment,” he said.
Referring to the allegations in the chargesheet, Bhuyan said it claims that one of the accused women allegedly made Zubeen consume alcohol continuously for two days before taking him to a yacht and later into the sea.
“The prosecution must prove these allegations beyond doubt to hold the accused guilty,” he said.
Concluding, Bhuyan said the prosecution and the government still have time to strengthen the case. He said justice will depend on whether the authorities collect, present and test all relevant evidence lawfully during trial.