Zubeen Garg death case: SC issues notice in Shyamkanu Mahanta’s bail plea hearing

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Assam government's response to a bail plea filed by Northeast Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, a key accused in the death case of Assam's cultural icon Zubeen Garg.

Mahanta's petition before the SC, challenging the Gauhati High Court's May 29 order rejecting his bail application, came up for hearing before a two-judge bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Joymalya Bagchi. The bench issued notice to the Assam government and posted the matter for further hearing at the end of July 2026.

During the hearing, the bench asked whether Shyamkanu posed any flight risk if released on bail. Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, the counsel appearing for Shyamkanu, argued that there's no question of his client escaping, as his passport has already been submitted before the authorities.

Meanwhile, the hearings on Siddharth Sharma's and Sandipan Garg's bail pleas were heard by Justice Mitali Thakuria in the Gauhati High Court today.

The hearing on Siddharth's bail plea was completed, but the HC reserved the order for a later date. As for Sandipan's bail plea, the defence's arguments were heard. The prosecution sought time to present its objection to the bail plea, and the court granted time until after vacation, fixing the next date for July 15.

After the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Ziaul Kamar told the media that they presented their financial analysis on Zubeen's money received from Bihu committees. The prosecution calculated that if Zubeen received Rs 2 lakh from one committee, what would be the total from 20 such committees? Moreover, Garima Saikia Garg had filed for a succession certificate, and it was found that there was around Rs 9,63,000 in Zubeen's account, while there are crores in Siddharth's accounts.

Sandipan had sought bail, saying he had stayed in jail for a long time, but Kamar pointed out that he had been incarcerated for only around 8 months.

 Also Read: Shyamkanu Mahanta Moves SC for Bail After Gauhati HC Rejection in Zubeen Garg Death Case