Singer Amritprabha Mahanta was released from Haflong sub-jail on Tuesday after the Gauhati High Court granted her bail in the death case of Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, marking the first reported bail in the main case.
Justice Pranjal Das granted bail on October 9 against a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount, Special Public Prosecutor Ziaul Kamar told reporters. The court heard arguments over several days before reserving its order and delivering the decision on Friday.
Mahanta had been lodged at Haflong sub-jail alongside Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, another accused and a former bandmate of Garg. The remaining accused are lodged at Tamulpur jail.
The bail order in the main death case is separate from earlier bail granted to two of Garg’s personal security officers in a financial transactions case.
Garg, 52, died on September 19, 2025, while swimming in the sea off Singapore, where he had travelled to attend the North East India Festival. His death sparked widespread protests across Assam, with people demanding a thorough investigation.
The Assam government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which arrested several people who accompanied the singer during his Singapore visit. Those arrested included festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, Garg’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, and band members Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta.
The SIT chargesheeted the four for murder. Garg’s cousin, Sandipan Garg, was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while personal security officers Nandeswar Bora and Paresh Baishya were charged with criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.
Mahanta’s release does not amount to an acquittal. The allegations against the accused remain subject to judicial proceedings, and the court has yet to establish their guilt in the main death case.
