Zubeen Garg Death Case: Bail Hearing for Prime Accused Shyamkanu Mahanta Continues

GUWAHATI — A special fast-track court on Wednesday took up the bail plea of Shyamkanu Mahanta, one of the prime accused in the death case of Assamese cultural icon Zubeen Garg, with proceedings set to continue on Thursday as both the prosecution and defence complete their arguments.

Prosecution: Liquor Email Was a Cover, Says Kamar

Special Public Prosecutor Ziaul Kamar told the media after the hearing that the prosecution had raised three key points during the day's proceedings.

The defence had argued that Mahanta had emailed the hotel where Zubeen was staying in Singapore, instructing staff not to serve him liquor. Kamar said the prosecution had established through witnesses that this version contradicts the facts on record — and that the email itself is not part of the prosecution's documents, meaning it cannot be examined as evidence without going through proper legal channels.

More critically, the prosecution alleged that NRI witness Abhimanyu had been directed by Mahanta himself to purchase Black & White brand liquor and hand it over to him — and that Mahanta then gave the liquor to Zubeen before the yacht ride.

"On one hand, they said he should not be served liquor, and on the other, Shyamkanu himself supplied the liquor," Kamar said. 

Also Read: Court Orders De-freezing of Shyamkanu's Accounts in Zubeen Case

Flight Risk and Custody Duration Debated

The defence argued that Mahanta was not a flight risk and should be granted bail, also pointing out that he had been in judicial custody for a considerable period.

Kamar pushed back, noting that Mahanta had cooperated with the investigation only after a lookout notice was issued against him — a fact the prosecution said was relevant to the flight risk assessment.

On the custody duration argument, the prosecution stated that Mahanta had been in detention for approximately 190 days — a period it argued was not sufficient grounds for bail in a case of this gravity. Kamar also noted that the fast-track court had been specifically established to ensure no person is held in detention beyond what is necessary.

The bail petition of co-accused Siddharth Sharma was not heard on the day, after the court found errors in the affidavit submitted by his advocate and directed that it be filed again.

Wife Stands by Husband, Calls Arrest an Injustice

Outside the court, Mahanta's wife Anita Deka Mahanta maintained that her husband was innocent and had been wrongly held for the past seven months.

"My husband is innocent. An innocent man is in jail. An injustice has been done to him," she said.

She pointed to the fact that Singapore authorities — known for strict laws — had classified the incident as an accident, questioning why Mahanta continued to be held on murder charges in India.

On the yacht party allegations, she denied that her husband had any knowledge of it, saying he had been attending a meeting approximately 50 kilometres away at the time of the incident and that she too had been present in Singapore during the programme.

She also maintained that Zubeen Garg had travelled to Singapore voluntarily to promote Assamese culture, and rejected any suggestion that he had been pressured into participating. "I never believe that anyone could forcefully make Zubeen work or do something against his will," she said.