Zubeen case hearing begins, 7 accused appear virtually

Guwahati: The seven accused in the Zubeen Garg murder case were virtually produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (Metro) for the first hearing on Tuesday.

Organiser of the North East India Festival in Singapore, Shyamkanu Mahanta, along with six others are lodged in two different jails since Oct 15.

Assam police CID produced the accused virtually to avoid any potential law and order challenges that could arise from their physical presence on the court premises.




After the first hearing, govt advocate Pradip Konwar told the media that the court inquired about the health of the accused. “Following the court’s directive, a team from the CID served copies of the chargesheet on the seven accused through prison authorities,” he added.

The advocate said the court has fixed Dec 22 for the next hearing.

Similarly, the families of the accused were provided copies of the chargesheet and other related documents in a digital format on pen drives.

“The accused will have to be presented in the court again for the hearing on Dec 22. On that day, there is a possibility that the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court of Kamrup Metropolitan District will transfer the case to the court of sessions to proceed with the trial process,” the advocate added.

Notably, since the case involves charges related to murder, the trial for Zubeen’s death will be conducted in the court of sessions in Kamrup (Metro) district, under the provisions of BNSS, 2023.

The accused were represented by advocate Dhrubajyoti Das from the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).

It is pertinent to mention that the lawyers’ fraternity in the city has unanimously announced their decision not to argue for the accused in the trial on Sept 24.

After no lawyer came forward for the accused, the court, following protocol, directed the appointment of an advocate from the DLSA to represent the accused in the court. Accordingly, on Tuesday, advocate Dhrubajyoti Das represented them.