Guwahati, June 11 (IANS) Siddhartha Sarma, one of the accused in the sensational Zubeen Garg death case and former manager of the late Assamese singer, on Thursday approached the Gauhati High Court challenging a Fast Track Court order and seeking the reopening of his firm, Mahabir Aqua, along with the defreezing of bank accounts linked to the establishment.
Legal sources said that Sarma filed a petition before the High Court contesting the findings of the Fast Track Court and seeking relief on multiple counts related to the ongoing criminal proceedings.
In his plea, the accused requested the court to allow the reopening of Mahabir Aqua, a business entity that has remained shut following the investigation into the case.
He also sought directions for the release of bank accounts that were frozen by investigating agencies during the course of the probe.
Sarma’s petition further urged the High Court to take into consideration findings and reports submitted by Singapore authorities regarding the death of celebrated singer Zubeen Garg.
The application reportedly argued that the conclusions of the foreign investigation should be examined as part of the judicial proceedings underway in Assam.
The development comes a week after the Gauhati High Court declined to entertain Sarma’s bail plea.
On June 4, a bench of Justice Parthivjyoti Saikia did not accept the bail application for hearing, resulting in no substantive proceedings on the matter.
Sarma had moved the High Court after a Fast Track Court rejected his bail application, citing the gravity of the allegations and the ongoing nature of the investigation.
The case pertains to the death of Assamese music icon Zubeen Garg, who died on September 19 last year while swimming near Lazarus Island in Singapore, a day before he was scheduled to perform at an event organised under the North East International Festival (NEIF) banner.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Assam CID subsequently investigated the matter and filed a chargesheet naming seven accused persons, including Sarma.
While the Singapore Police concluded that there was no evidence of foul play, Assam investigators have continued with criminal proceedings based on evidence gathered during their probe.
–IANS
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