New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday deferred the hearing on the bail plea of Shyamkanu Mahanta, an accused in the case concerning the death of Assam’s iconic singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore, and posted the matter for further hearing in the first week of November.
Mahanta, who is currently lodged in Baksa jail along with five other accused, was arrested in October 2025, a month after Garg died in Singapore.
During the hearing, the Assam government apprised the apex court of the progress of the trial and informed it that the examination of witnesses was underway.
The state said that statements of 94 out of 394 witnesses had been recorded as of August 14. It also informed the apex court that several important witnesses based in Singapore were yet to be examined and their statements were expected to be recorded shortly.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the state authorities to ensure that the trial proceeds expeditiously and without unnecessary delay.
The progress made in the trial has also been taken into consideration while hearing Mahanta’s plea for bail.
Garg, one of Assam’s most popular musicians and cultural icons, died in Singapore in September 2025 after an incident at sea. His death triggered widespread grief across Assam and raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Assam government subsequently ordered a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading to his death. The investigation later resulted in the arrest of several people and criminal proceedings against them.
Mahanta, who was associated with the organisation of the North East India Festival in Singapore, was among those arrested in connection with the case.
Investigators have examined the circumstances surrounding Garg’s presence in Singapore and the events preceding his death.
A fast-track court in Assam has framed murder charges against four accused, including Mahanta, in the case. Besides Mahanta, six other individuals, including Garg’s bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, have been arrested and are facing investigation and proceedings in connection with the case.
Five other accused are currently lodged in Baksa jail, according to the state’s submission before the Supreme Court.
With key witnesses from Singapore still to be examined, the prosecution’s evidence remains under way. The apex court is now scheduled to consider Mahanta’s bail plea again in the first week of November.
(IANS)
