Guwahati: The Kamrup (Metro) chief judicial magistrate’s court will take up the Zubeen Garg death case on Tuesday, with all seven accused appearing through video conferencing to avoid any potential law and order complications.
The court chose virtual production on the first day of proceedings after the Assam Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed a special plea citing security concerns over producing the accused physically in court.
The case formally entered the judicial stage following the Special Investigation Team’s submission of the chargesheet last week.
Government advocate Pradip Konwar said the court had initially directed the police to produce the accused in person. However, after detailed deliberations involving the prosecution and the director of prosecution, the court accepted the CID’s request and permitted a virtual appearance to prevent public inconvenience or unrest.
During the hearing, the magistrate will verify the health status of the accused and ensure they receive copies of the chargesheet. The court has instructed the CID to serve the documents to the accused at their respective correctional facilities.
Five of the accused—festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, singer Zubeen Garg’s manager Siddharth Sharma, his brother and APS officer Sandipon Garg, and personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya—remain in custody at the Baksa district jail.
The authorities have lodged the remaining two accused—drummer Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and co-singer Amritprava Mahanta—at the Haflong sub-jail in Dima Hasao district.
The prosecution clarified that the permission for virtual appearance applies only at this preliminary stage. Once the magistrate commits the case to the sessions court, all accused will have to appear physically during trial proceedings, as mandated under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Under the new criminal law, a chief judicial magistrate commits serious criminal cases to a sessions court for trial, formally transferring jurisdiction for further judicial examination.