Guwahati: Singer Amritprabha Mahanta, one of the seven accused in the death case of Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, was released from Haflong sub-jail on Tuesday, October 13, four days after the Gauhati High Court granted her bail.
Justice Pranjal Das granted bail to Mahanta on Friday, October 9, directing her to furnish a bond of Rs 50,000 along with two sureties of the same amount, Special Public Prosecutor Ziaul Kamar told reporters.
The High Court heard Mahanta’s bail petition over several days, with arguments concluding on Wednesday. The court reserved its order before delivering the verdict on Friday.
According to Kamar, the prosecution presented its arguments over four to five days during the hearings.
Mahanta was lodged at Haflong sub-jail along with Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, another accused in the case and a former bandmate of Garg. The remaining accused are lodged at Tamulpur jail.
Mahanta’s release is the first reported instance of an accused securing bail in the main case concerning Garg’s death. Earlier, two of the singer’s personal security officers had obtained bail in a separate case involving financial transactions, which is distinct from the main death investigation.
Zubeen Garg, 52, died on September 19, 2025, while swimming in the sea off Singapore, where he had travelled to attend the North East India Festival. His death sparked widespread protests across Assam, with people demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Assam government subsequently constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case. Several people who accompanied Garg during his Singapore visit were arrested as part of the probe.
Those arrested included festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, and band members Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta.
The SIT later filed a chargesheet against the accused. Amritprabha Mahanta, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddhartha Sharma and Shekhar Jyoti Goswami were charged with murder.
Garg’s cousin, Sandipan Garg, was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while the singer’s personal security officers, Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya, were charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.
The case centres on the circumstances surrounding Garg’s death during his Singapore visit and the alleged roles of those who accompanied him.
Mahanta’s release on bail does not amount to an acquittal. The allegations against her and the other accused remain subject to judicial proceedings, and their guilt has not been established by a court.
Legal proceedings in the main death case are continuing, with the remaining accused facing charges in connection with the singer’s death.