Guwahati: Amritprava Mahanta, one of the accused in the death case of Zubeen Garg, appeared before a fast-track court here on Wednesday, a day after she was released from Haflong sub-jail following Gauhati high court’s grant of bail.Amritprava was directed to appear before the court after her release on Tuesday. She is the first accused in the case to secure bail.Justice Pranjal Das granted her bail on Oct 9 against a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount, special public prosecutor Ziaul Kamar said. Amritprava was arrested on Oct 2 last year, a day after the organiser of North East India Festival in Singapore Shyamkanu Mahanta and Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma were arrested in connection with the singer’s death.She was sent to judicial custody by the court of chief judicial magistrate, Kamrup (Metro), on Oct 17 and transported to Haflong sub-jail in Dima Hasao district instead of Guwahati Central Jail, citing security reasons.Zubeen travelled to Singapore on Sept 17 and died two days later while swimming in the sea off Lazarus Island. He was scheduled to perform at the North East India Festival on Sept 20.Singapore State Coroner ruled on March 25 that Zubeen’s death was an accidental drowning, finding no evidence of foul play. However, following public demands for a probe and the registration of more than 60 FIRs, Assam govt constituted a special investigation team (SIT) under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Assam Police to investigate the case.The SIT filed its chargesheet in Dec 2025 after an investigation that included a visit to Singapore and the examination of witnesses. A fast-track court subsequently set up in Zubeen’s death case framed charges against all seven accused, including murder charges against four of them, including Shyamkanu.The trial is scheduled to begin on June 8.Besides Amritprava and Shyamkanu, other accused are the singer’s manager Siddharth, bandmate Shekharjyoti Goswami, Zubeen’s cousin and now-suspended Assam Police officer Sandipon Garg and personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya.Gauhati high court on Tuesday reserved the judgment in the bail plea of Sandipon. Except Amritprava, the others are currently lodged in different jails.
