Guwahati, November 6: The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing on the bail applications of Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sandipan Garg in the Zubeen Garg death case. The four related petitions, including Assam government's challenges to the bail granted to Amritprabha Mahanta and Sandipan Garg by the Gauhati High Court, will now be heard together on November 30.
Assam Advocate General Debajit Lon Saikia told the media that the case had already undergone three to four hearings in the Supreme Court. During Friday's proceedings, the state government informed the court that statements of around 143 witnesses had already been recorded, while the examination of the remaining witnesses was underway.
The defence referred to the bail granted to Amritprabha Mahanta and Sandipan Garg by the Gauhati High Court. In response, the Assam government informed the Supreme Court that it had filed Special Leave Petitions challenging those bail orders. The hearing on those petitions had earlier been scheduled for November 16.
Following the submissions, the Supreme Court fixed November 30 for hearing all four matters together.
Saikia said the case has a total of 394 witnesses. However, the prosecution intends to restrict the number of witnesses to around 230-240, focusing on those considered material to proving the case and avoiding unnecessary delays.
He said the trial began on June 8 and has been proceeding on a day-to-day basis for the past four to five months. According to him, the prosecution has not sought adjournment at any stage.
The Advocate General expressed hope that the trial could be completed within the next three to four months if the current pace continues. He also said the state government was taking steps to ensure justice for Zubeen Garg, adding that the two main accused, Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sandipan Garg, had not secured bail so far.
