Zubeen Garg Death Case: Supreme Court Issues Notice To Assam Govt On Accused's Bail Plea

New Delhi, June 23: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Assam government on a bail plea filed by event organiser Shyam Kanu Mahanta, who is facing charges including murder and cheating in connection with the death of Assamese singer Zubeen Garg during a yacht trip in Singapore in September 2025.

A bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Joymalya Bagchi sought the State's response and made the matter returnable at the end of July. Appearing for Mahanta, Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave argued that there was no possibility of his client fleeing from the law.

He told the court that Garg had died due to drowning and pointed out that Mahanta's passport had already been deposited with authorities. “There is no flight risk. I don't have money. My passport is deposited,” Dave submitted.

Mahanta has challenged a May 29 order of the Gauhati High Court, which rejected his bail application. He was arrested on October 1, 2025, and has remained in custody since then, Live Law reports.

Serious Charges And Alleged Conspiracy

The chargesheet invokes several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including criminal conspiracy, murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, destruction of evidence, extortion, cheating and criminal breach of trust.

According to the prosecution, Garg drowned during a yacht outing in Singapore on September 19, 2025. Investigators have maintained that the incident was not a simple case of accidental drowning. Instead, they allege it was the result of a larger conspiracy in which Garg was knowingly exposed to dangerous circumstances despite concerns about his health.

The State alleges that Mahanta, one of the organisers of the North East India Festival (NEIF) in Singapore, conspired with other accused persons in a chain of events that ultimately led to the singer's death.

Prosecutors claim Mahanta was aware that Garg suffered from epilepsy, had undergone alcohol de-addiction treatment and had medical advice to avoid alcohol as well as water- and fire-related activities.

Despite this knowledge, the prosecution alleges that alcohol continued to be supplied to Garg and that Mahanta organised or facilitated the yacht trip.

Investigators have also alleged that hotel room arrangements were altered so that co-accused Amritprava Mahanta could stay with Garg and continuously provide him alcohol.

The State further claims that Mahanta failed to ensure adequate medical and safety arrangements for the singer. According to investigators, he was aware of the yacht trip beforehand, discussed it with organisers and had several opportunities to prevent Garg from taking part but chose not to intervene.

Flight Risk Claim And Evidence Tampering Allegation

The prosecution has also relied on witness statements and post-mortem findings, which allegedly showed 333 mg of ethanol in Garg's body. It has further alleged that Mahanta instructed a witness to procure a bottle of Black and White whisky for the singer.

Before the Gauhati High Court, the State argued that Mahanta travelled to Malaysia after the incident, forcing authorities to issue a lookout circular and seek Interpol alerts before he was eventually apprehended at Delhi airport. Investigators have also accused him of deleting chats and electronic data and issuing contradictory public statements after Garg's death.

Mahanta has denied all allegations. He argued before the High Court that he was only a co-organiser of the festival, which was held under the aegis of the High Commission of India in Singapore. He claimed that he had specifically instructed the hotel not to provide alcohol to Garg and maintained that the yacht trip was organised by others.

Mahanta also contended that Garg's death was an accidental drowning and said he was not present on the yacht. Rejecting claims that he was likely to abscond, he argued that his passport and other travel documents had already been seized. He further said his trip to Malaysia after the incident was a family visit from Singapore and not an attempt to evade investigators.

Why The High Court Refused Bail

Rejecting Mahanta's bail plea in May, the Gauhati High Court held that material collected during the investigation prima facie suggested his involvement in the alleged conspiracy.

The court observed that despite being aware of Garg's medical condition, there appeared to have been no adequate medical or safety arrangements in place. It also noted that the yacht trip seemed to have been organised in consultation with Mahanta.

The High Court further accepted the prosecution's argument that the possibility of witness tampering and absconding could not be ruled out at that stage. It took note of the fact that the prosecution had cited 394 witnesses and that the case was still at the stage of consideration of charges.

The court also held that Mahanta's custody of around eight months did not amount to prolonged incarceration. Since a special court had already been constituted to conduct the trial, it found no grounds to grant him bail.

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The Supreme Court's notice does not amount to any relief for Mahanta at this stage. However, the development indicates that the apex court is willing to examine the circumstances under which bail was denied in a case that has attracted significant public attention in Assam and beyond.

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