Guwahati: Assam Police will move Supreme Court by the end of this month, challenging the Gauhati high court’s bail orders granted to Amritprava Mahanta and Sandipon Garg, both accused in Zubeen Garg’s death case, special DG (CID) and SIT chief MP Gupta said on Sunday.“We have received the order copies of the bail granted to Amritprava Mahanta and Sandipon Garg. We have studied the orders and after analysing the order and taking legal opinion, we have decided to move to the Supreme Court challenging the orders of bail as soon as the court functions resume after the vacation,” Gupta said in a media conference.The trial is progressing on a day-to-day basis, with 134 witnesses examined so far, Gupta said.Singer Amritprava and now-suspended Assam police officer Sandipon are among the seven accused arrested in the Zubeen Garg death case, the trial of which is underway in a fast-track court.Gauhati high court granted bail to Amritprava, who faces a murder charge under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, on Oct 9. Sandipon, who faces a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the BNS, was granted bail on Oct 16.Both were on the yacht with others when Zubeen died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on Sept 19 last year. The singer had reached Singapore on Sept 17 to perform at the North East India Festival scheduled for Sept 20.The other accused are festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Zubeen’s bandmate Shekharjyoti Goswami, manager Siddharth Sharma and two personal security officers — Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya. They have been lodged in different jails since Oct 15 last year. Shyamkanu, Siddharth and Shekharjyoti, along with Amritprava, face charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.Assam advocate general D Saikia said the state govt had decided to challenge Mahanta’s bail order after finding “several discrepancies” in it. “I have obtained and examined Amritprava’s bail order granted by the Gauhati high court and found several discrepancies in it… The home department held a discussion with me in the matter and I have recommended that the order should be challenged in the Supreme Court, as we are not in agreement with it,” he said.“Acting on my recommendation, steps have already been initiated to file a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court challenging the bail order granted to Amritprava,” Saikia added.Regarding Sandipon’s bail, Saikia said the court was yet to release the detailed order. “Once we receive it, we will examine it. If we find any discrepancies, the Assam govt will certainly file an SLP in the Supreme Court challenging the order and seeking its cancellation,” he added.
