Gauhati HC grants bail to Amrit Prabha Mahanta in Zubeen Garg death case

The Gauhati High Court granted bail to Amrit Prabha Mahanta in the singer's death case. The order offers her relief even as Assam's investigation continues despite Singapore ruling out foul play.Stock photo used for illustrationGuwahati,Oct 9, 2026 18:18 ISTThe Gauhati High Court on Friday granted bail to singer Amrit Prabha Mahanta, one of the accused in the death case of singer-songwriter Zubeen Garg, Special Public Prosecutor Ziaul Kamar said. Justice Pranjal Das granted her bail on a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount, Kamar told reporters.Kamar said the court had allowed bail after a lengthy hearing in which the prosecution argued its case over four to five days. He said the detailed grounds for the order were not yet known and added that Mahanta would be released only after the bail order was submitted to the trial court and the required formalities were completed.'The honourable judge has read the operative part. We don't know the grounds for the grant of bail yet,' Kamar said after the order. 'The court thought that it was a fit case for bail, and hence allowed it. We did our best,' he added. Kamar also said that, as the public prosecutor, he could not challenge the order, but would write to the government and wait for the next steps.Asked when Mahanta would be released from prison, Kamar said the bail order had to be placed before the trial court, after which she would be able to walk out once the necessary formalities were completed. Garg died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea. He was in the country to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival. Apart from Mahanta, the accused in the case who are in jail are North East India Festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer's manager Siddharth Sharma, band member Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, Garg's cousin and Assam Police DSP Sandipan Garg, and personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Prabin Baishya. The two PSOs were granted bail in a disproportionate assets case in September, but remain in jail in connection with the artiste's death case.An SIT under the CID of the Assam Police probed the case after more than 60 FIRs were lodged across the state. The Singapore Police Force, which conducted a separate probe, said there was no evidence of foul play. A Coroner's Court in Singapore also ruled out foul play and said the popular Indian singer-songwriter was severely intoxicated and had drowned off Lazarus Island after declining a life jacket. Authorities in Assam, however, said those findings would not affect the case here. In sum, the High Court has granted bail to Amrit Prabha Mahanta, while the wider investigation into Garg's death continues in Assam. - Ends