Zubeen Garg case: Court orders unfreezing of bank account of accused

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Guwahati, March 2 (IANS) The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Kamrup district in Assam on Monday ordered that one of the accused in Zubeen Garg’s death case – the festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta’s bank accounts be unfrozen, noting that the provisions under Section 107 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were not applicable in the present circumstances. ​

The Court also ordered another accused in the case, Siddhartha Sharma, to deposit Rs. 16 lakhs with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police, as the probe agency had sealed his flat. ​

Notably, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Assam Police, constituted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), filed a detailed chargesheet in a Guwahati court in December 2025 in the death case of singer Zubeen Garg. ​

The probe followed the mysterious death of Garg in Singapore on September 19, 2025, when he reportedly died while on a sea outing during a trip to attend the North East India Festival. ​

The chargesheet was described in some reports as a multi-thousand-page document, ranging from 3,500 to over 12,000 pages, based on extensive investigation and witness statements. ​

Seven people were named in the chargesheet filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Guwahati. ​

Murder charges under sections of the law were framed against four of them, including the festival organiser, Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, a band member, Shekharjyoti Goswami, and a co-singer, Amritprabha Mahanta. ​

Garg’s cousin, a suspended Assam Police officer, Sandipan Garg, was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. ​

The remaining accused, including Garg’s personal security officers, were named in the chargesheet for related offences, including criminal conspiracy and breach of trust. ​

The SIT’s chargesheet was based on extensive evidence-gathering, supported by witness testimony from more than 300 people, documentary evidence, and forensic findings presented to the court.

​–IANS

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Rao added that the ministry has launched new initiatives keeping artisans at the centre. “We often talk about ‘Lakhpati Didis’, but we aim to ensure that artisans’ incomes grow even more. We want them not only to earn for themselves but also to generate employment for others. In handicrafts, women can move forward, lead development, and bring many others along.”

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The JPC Chairman had submitted the report to LS Speaker Om Birla himself on January 31. The committee had adopted the draft legislation by 15-11 majority vote.

Even during wide-ranging deliberations of JPC meets, the ruling and Opposition MPs had crossed swords.

BJP members supported amendments, claiming that the impending reforms will bring transparency and accountability in management of Waqf Boards while the Opposition fulminated over the move.

They termed the Bill an attack on the rights of minorities and an unwarranted interference in the functioning of Waqf Boards.

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