Guwahati, May 22 (IANS) The Gauhati High Court is scheduled to hear the bail plea of Shyamkanu Mahanta on Friday, an accused in the death of Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg.

This will be the second hearing on Mahanta’s bail application before the bench of Justice Mitali Thakuria.

During the first hearing held on May 15, the court had directed the concerned parties to submit an additional affidavit by May 18.

Mahanta, known as the organiser of the popular Northeast festival, has been lodged in jail for the past several months after being named as one of the accused in the case linked to the death investigation concerning Zubeen Garg. According to legal sources, the court is expected to examine the additional documents and submissions placed before it during Friday’s hearing before deciding on the bail petition.

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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