Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has questioned sections of the media over their coverage of the Zubeen Garg death case, particularly reports predicting bail for the accused and differences between witnesses’ media interviews and their court testimonies.
Sarma questioned why reports were suggesting that the accused would get bail even before the Supreme Court had decided on their pleas.
Referring to the bail granted to Amritprabha Mahanta by the Gauhati High Court in an order passed by Justice Pranjal Das, the Chief Minister questioned how witness statements were being interpreted and stressed the need to examine the evidence presented before the court.
He also highlighted alleged differences between statements made by witnesses during television interviews and their testimonies in court, emphasising that the two should be examined separately.
Pointing to the large number of witnesses in the case, Sarma said many were yet to depose before the court and should be allowed to testify without pressure. He maintained that the state government could not pressurise witnesses and stressed the importance of considering Assam’s sentiments and values while reporting on the case.
The Chief Minister also referred to a witness whose statement about Zubeen Garg’s role in a protest had attracted considerable media attention, questioning how such accounts were being presented and interpreted.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has postponed the bail-related proceedings in the case to November 30. The matters involve the bail pleas of Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddhartha Sharma, along with the Assam government’s challenges to the bail granted to Amritprabha Mahanta and Sandipan Garg by the Gauhati High Court.
The trial is continuing before a fast-track court, with the examination of witnesses remaining a key part of the proceedings.
