Trial of all 7 accused in Zubeen Garg death case gets underway

All the seven accused in the death of singer Zubeen Garg appeared virtually before a sessions court here, as the trial in the case got underway on Monday.

The Kamrup (Metro) District and Sessions Court, after examining the accused via video-conferencing, fixed the next date of hearing on January 3, 2026. It will consider framing of charges on the date of the next hearing, a senior lawyer said.

The court will call for their production, either in person or virtually, to ask them whether they plead guilty or will stand for trial in the case, he said.

Garg had gone to attend the North East India Festival (NEIF) in Singapore, where he died under mysterious circumstances while swimming in the sea on September 19.

The accused — NEIF chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer’s secretary Siddhartha Sharma, his cousin Sandipan Garg, and two personal security officers (PSOs) Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya appeared from the Baksa Jail, while musician Shekharjyoti Goswami and singer Amritprava Mahanta were present online from Haflong Jail.

The celebrated singer’s sister, Palmee Borthakur, was present in court during the hearing and later told reporters that the family has full faith in the judiciary. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case had charged Mahanta, Sharma, Goswami and Amritprava with murder in the chargesheet filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) on December 12.

The singer’s cousin and suspended Assam Police officer Sandipan Garg has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while the two PSOs were charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust by misappropriating funds or property entrusted to them.

The first hearing in the case, after the SIT submitted the chargesheet, took place on December 16 at the CJM court here.

The CJM, thereafter, committed the case to the sessions court for the trial to begin. The accused were present virtually during the December 16 hearing, too, as the police had cited law and order issues if they were produced physically.

The hard copies of the chargesheet were handed over to the accused by the jail authorities before the first hearing, and their family members were provided a pen drive each with copies of the document.

Asked about the charges against the accused, Borthakur said that they have not received the certified copy of the chargesheet yet.

Advocate Dhrubajyoti Das was appointed by the District Legal Services Authority to represent the accused, though an independent lawyer appeared on behalf of Amritprava during Monday’s hearing.