Guwahati, February 13 The court hearing the case of singer Zubeen Garg's death on Friday examined documents submitted by two accused, Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma, while the singer's wife and sister demanded that the fast-track court promised by the state government be set up at the earliest for daily hearings.
The Kamrup Metropolitan District and Sessions Court admitted Mahanta's petition seeking the release of his frozen bank accounts and also heard three petitions of Sharma, including one seeking the handing over of the report of the Singapore Coroner's Court regarding Garg's death.
The lawyers of both the accused also submitted various documents related to the case to the court for examination.
The prosecution opposed all the petitions, and the court fixed February 16 as the next date of hearing.
Garg's wife, Garima, told reporters outside the court that the government should immediately set up the fast-track court for daily hearings of the case, otherwise it would drag on for years and justice would not be meted out to both the family and the people of Assam.
"We have been saying from the very beginning that the fast-track court should be set up so that continuous hearings can take place and the guilty are punished," she said.
"There is no sign of any remorse on the part of the accused, and even their lawyers appeared to be confused or trying to confuse the court," she said.
Garg's sister, Palme Borthakur, also demanded that the trial be sped up, saying, "Even now the accused are only submitting the documents, and if it continues in this way, it will take more than 20 years for the verdict to be executed."
The prosecution lawyer also urged that the fast-track court should be set up immediately and said they will soon apply for it in the Gauhati High Court.
Among the seven accused arrested in the case, three – Garg's band member Amritprava Mahanta and his two personal security officers (PSOs) Paresh Baishya and Nandeswar Bora – had earlier filed for bail, which was rejected during the last hearing on January 30.
North East India Festival Director Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer's secretary Sidhartha Sharma, his band members Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava were accused of murder in the chargesheet by the Special Investigating Team constituted by the Assam government to probe into the singer's death.
The singer's cousin and suspended Assam Police officer Sandipan Garg has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while the singer's two PSOs have been charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust for misappropriating funds or property entrusted to them.
The SIT had submitted the chargesheet on December 12, and the first hearing was held on December 16.
Garg had gone to attend the North East India Festival at Singapore, where he died under mysterious circumstances while swimming in the sea on September 19.