Guwahati, Jan 22 (PTI) Two accused in the Zubeen Garg death case, North East India Festival director Shyamkanu Mahanta and the singer’s cousin Sandipan Garg, on Thursday withdrew their bail petitions during a hearing at a court here.
The Kamrup Metropolitan District and Sessions Court was hearing the bail pleas of five of the seven accused when Mahanta and Sandipan Garg’s lawyers withdrew their petitions.
Mahanta is accused of murder, while the singer’s cousin, a suspended Assam Police officer, has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The court heard the bail petitions of singer Amritprava Mahanta and Garg’s personal security officers Paresh Baishya and Nandeswar Bora.
The court is scheduled to hear the matter again on January 30, when it is likely to pass an order on the bail petition.
Two other accused, singer’s secretary Siddhartha Sharma and Garg’s band member Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, have not applied for bail yet.
The accused were present virtually during the hearing while Zubeen Garg’s widow Garima and the singer’s sister, Palmee Borthakur, were present physically in the court.
Garima told reporters that the prosecution put up a strong case opposing the bail petitions and they were satisfied with the arguments.
Borthakur said the court would decide on the bail pleas on January 30. “We are waiting for that,” she said.
Garg had gone to attend the North East India Festival in Singapore, where he died under mysterious circumstances while swimming in the sea on September 19.
The Assam government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the singer’s death and had submitted the chargesheet on December 12.
In its chargesheet, the SIT accused Mahanta, Sharma, Goswami and Amritprava of murder.
While Sandipan Garg has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the singer’s two PSOs have been charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by misappropriating funds or property entrusted to them.
Earlier, the state cabinet appointed a five-member team of special public prosecutors, headed by senior advocate Ziaul Kamar, with Brojendra Mohan Chaudhuri as additional public prosecutor and Kishor Dutta, Pranjal Dutta and Vikash Jammar as assistant public prosecutors.
A coroner’s court in Singapore had last week ruled out any foul play and said Garg was severely intoxicated and had drowned off Lazarus Island after declining a life jacket. PTI DG DG MNB
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