Guwahati: The Gauhati high court has appointed an exclusive fast-track sessions court to conduct day-to-day trial proceedings in the Zubeen Garg death case, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.Baksa district judge Sharmila Bhuyan will preside over the fast-track court.In a post on X, Sarma wrote, “Today marks a significant milestone in our collective pursuit of justice in the Zubeen Garg murder case.”He added, “The Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court has been pleased to nominate Sharmila Bhuyan, presently serving as District Judge, Baksa, to preside over an exclusive fast-track sessions court for conducting day-to-day trial proceedings in this matter.”The Assam cabinet had last month decided to request the Gauhati high court to set up a fast-track court for the case.Sarma said the appointment “will greatly expedite the judicial process and it reinforces our commitment to ensuring timely justice.”“I express my deep appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to Justice Ashutosh Kumar, Gauhati High Court Chief Justice, for accepting our request and for his unwavering support in strengthening the cause of justice,” he added.The fast-track court has been constituted six months after the singer died at the age of 52 while swimming in the sea in Singapore on Sept 19 last year, and three months after the SIT submitted its chargesheet in the case.Zubeen had travelled to Singapore to attend the fourth edition of the North East India Festival on Sept 17 and was scheduled to perform on Sept 20.The SIT named seven people in its 12,000-page chargesheet filed before the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Guwahati — festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, the singer’s manager Siddharth Sharma, bandmate Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, co-singer Amritprabha Mahanta, cousin Sandipon Garg, and two personal security officers, Nandeswar Borah and Paresh Baishya.Murder charges were framed against four of them — Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sharma, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprabha Mahanta. Sandipon Garg was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.The two PSOs were named in the chargesheet for related offences including criminal conspiracy and breach of trust.
