Guwahati, May 15 (IANS) One of the key accused in the death case of Assam’s iconic musician Zubeen Garg, the festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta’s bail plea will come up for hearing before the Gauhati High Court on Friday.

The matter will be heard in the court of Justice Mridul Kumar Kalita. Earlier, the hearing was scheduled for May 13, but it was deferred and rescheduled for Thursday.

Mahanta had approached the Gauhati High Court after his bail application was rejected by the lower court.

His counsel is expected to argue for bail, citing legal grounds during the hearing.

A fast-track court recently rejected Mahanta’s bail plea. During the hearing, counsel representing Mahanta sought bail on various grounds, while the prosecution opposed the plea. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court declined to grant relief at this stage.

The case pertains to the death of Zubeen Garg, who died on September 19 last year while swimming near Lazarus Island in Singapore. The incident occurred just a day before the singer was scheduled to perform at an event organised under the NEIF banner.

Following the incident, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Assam Police’s CID conducted an extensive probe and filed a chargesheet in December.

The chargesheet named seven accused individuals, including Mahanta. Of them, four have been booked on charges of murder, intensifying the gravity of the case.

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had termed the case a “plain and simple murder” during a discussion in the state Assembly, underlining the government’s stance on the matter.

Meanwhile, a parallel investigation carried out by the Singapore Police reached a different conclusion, stating that there was no evidence of foul play in Garg’s death.

Despite this, authorities in Assam have maintained that the findings of the foreign probe will not influence the ongoing investigation and trial in the state.

The case continues to draw widespread public and political attention, with the upcoming bail hearing expected to be a crucial stage in the legal proceedings.

–IANS

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