Zubeen Death Case: Bail Application Of Key Accused Shyamkanu Mahanta Heard In Fast Track Court
Guwahati: The bail application of Shyamkanu Mahanta, a key accused in singer Zubeen Garg's death case, was heard by the Special Fast Track court here on Wednesday, with the prosecution opposing it. Mahanta, the organiser of the North East India Festival, had moved for bail on April 10, a day after the Assam assembly polls.
His lawyers argued that he should be granted bail as he would cooperate with the investigations and was not a flight risk.
His counsel, Rajdeep Banerjee, appeared via video conference, while another lawyer, Pran Bora, was present in the court, and they argued that Mahanta has been in jail for more than seven months and should, therefore, be granted bail.
Special Public Prosecutor Ziaur Kamar opposed the bail plea, arguing that discrepancies exist between Mahanta's statements and the evidence, particularly related to alcohol supply to the late singer.
Kamar said the accused claimed to have sent an email stating Garg should not be given alcohol, but evidence suggests he asked an Assamese resident in Singapore to buy a bottle for the late singer. He also argued that his seven months in jail cannot be grounds for bail.
Mahanta's lawyer further asked for permission to respond to the prosecutor's argument, upon which Justice Sharmila Bhuyan deferred the hearing to Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, the bail application of another accused and the singer's manager, Siddhartha Sharma, was kept pending as certain discrepancies were found, and the judge asked his lawyers to correct the defects and submit it by Thursday.
Mahanta's wife, Anita Deka Mahanta, speaking to the media for the first time since her husband's arrest, said they also "wanted justice as innocent people have been kept in jail."
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