New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday deferred the hearing of Shyamkanu Mahanta’s bail plea in the case related to the death of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg. The matter will now be heard on November 4.
Mahanta, who is currently lodged in Baksa jail, will remain in custody as the Supreme Court has not yet decided on his bail plea.
The court was informed about the progress of the trial before the fast-track court in Assam. The examination of witnesses is still continuing.
Arguments on Mahanta’s bail plea had earlier been completed, and the court had fixed October 5 for its order. However, the matter was taken up again on Monday after the Assam government submitted an update on the trial.
Special Public Prosecutor Ziaul Kamar said the state informed the Supreme Court that the trial was moving ahead quickly and that witnesses were being examined.
According to Kamar, the court deferred the bail matter after taking note of the progress of the trial and the fact that the statement of an NRI witness is yet to be completed.
He said 122 prosecution witnesses, including nine NRIs, have so far been examined. The examination was completed within around 70 to 80 days.
Kamar also said that 86 FIRs had initially been registered in connection with the case. These were later combined into a single case.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed that the trial should be completed without unnecessary delay.
The Gauhati High Court had rejected Mahanta’s bail plea on May 29. He then approached the Supreme Court seeking bail.
The Supreme Court had also sought a report from the Assam government on the progress of the trial.
Reacting to Monday’s development, Zubeen Garg’s wife Garima Saikia Garg said, “Truth will always prevail.”
She said the development had strengthened her faith in the country’s justice system and thanked people for their continued support.
Zubeen’s sister, Dr Palmee Borthakur, also reacted to the development on Facebook. She wrote, “Thank you Almighty,” along with the hashtag #JusticeForZubeenGarg.
Mahanta is one of the seven accused in the case. The fast-track court has framed charges against all seven accused. Murder charges have been framed against four of them — Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sharma, Shekharjyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta.
The Supreme Court is also scheduled to hear the bail plea of another accused, Siddharth Sharma, on October 6.
Mahanta will remain in custody for now. His bail plea will come up again before the Supreme Court on November 4.
