Guwahati, Mar 20 (PTI) The prosecution on Friday completed its arguments during charge framing before a local court here in the Zubeen Garg death case, the deceased singer’s wife said.
Talking to reporters after attending the hearing, Garima Saikia Garg said, “On the second day of the hearing of charge framing, the prosecution completed its arguments. The defence lawyer of one of the accused, Amrit Praba Mahanta, placed half of his arguments.” Amrit Prabha’s lawyer will conclude his arguments on the next date of hearing, when the other defence lawyers will also make their arguments, she added.
The Kamrup Metropolitan District and Sessions Court, which is hearing the case, has set the next date of hearing on March 30.
The 52-year-old singer died while swimming in the sea on September 19 last year in Singapore, where he had gone to attend the fourth North East India Festival (NEIF).
Acting on a request from the state government, the Gauhati High Court has ordered for setting up of an exclusive fast-track sessions court to conduct day-to-day trial proceedings in the case, nominating District Judge of Baksa, Sharmila Bhuyan, to preside over it.
Till the exclusive court becomes operational, the current one hearing it will conduct the hearing on a daily basis, the High Court had said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Assam Police’s CID had probed the death of the singer and filed its charge sheet before a local court here in December.
A five-member special public prosecutors’ team had been appointed earlier by the government for the case.
NEIF chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma, and his two band members, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amrit Prabha Mahanta, are facing murder charges, while his cousin and suspended Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg is charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Garg’s two PSOs, Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya, are also in jail, charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by misappropriating funds or property entrusted to them.
A separate enquiry is also underway by local authorities in Singapore, with a coroner’s court recently ruling out foul play and stating that Garg was severely intoxicated and had drowned off Lazarus Island after declining a life jacket. PTI SSG SSG RG
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