Guwahati: The Kamrup Metropolitan District and Sessions Court held a hearing in cultural icon Zubeen Garg’s murder case on Friday, where procedural matters in connection with petitions filed by accused Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma were taken for consideration.
As per reports, the court has now scheduled the next hearing for February 16.
During today’s hearing, the court directed the defence to inspect case documents within the court premises over the next three days. This step was taken amid disputes between the prosecution and defence over exchange and availability of key materials.
The Special Public Prosecutor submitted multiple applications, while the defence raised concerns over alleged gaps in document supply. Counsel for the accused argued that certain materials listed in the charge sheet, including data from a seized pen drive, had not been fully provided in a usable format.
The prosecution maintained that all necessary documents had already been furnished, though some items could not be duplicated due to procedural reasons.
Noting that hard copies of those materials were available, the court allowed the defence to inspect these within the court complex, and allotted three days for the process to be completed.
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Family members of Zubeen Garg, including wife Garima Saikia Garg and sister Palme Borthakur, were present during the proceedings. While speaking to the media, they raised concerns over alleged attempts to delay the trial in connection with his death, accusing the defence of slowing down the judicial process through multiple applications.
Speaking on the hearing today, advocate Apurba Sarma said that the court took up a petition filed by Shyamkanu Mahanta, who has sought the refreezing of his bank accounts. He further added that Siddharth Sharma has filed three additional petitions, seeking access to all documents related to the case, including digital copies submitted before the court. The prosecution has objected to these requests, and those objections will also be heard on the same day.
Apurba Sarma said, “Today, the case was fixed for hearing on the petition filed by Shyamkanu Mahanta. Siddharth Sharma has filed three more petitions, and he is seeking all the documents, including digital copies of all the documents submitted before this court. The prosecution has objected to all of them, and the objections will be heard on February 16th, and the Court will pass an order on that day. We demand from the Government of Assam and India that a fast-track court be established that will conduct daily hearings.”
