The District and Sessions Judge’s Court in Guwahati today held the third hearing in the Zubeen Garg murder case and accepted two bail-related pleas filed by accused Shyamkanu Mahanta and Siddharth Sharma. The court, however, made it clear that both accused must appear in person during the identification process.
The pleas were submitted to the court through video conferencing. During the hearing, the accused informed the court that they had not received some case-related documents. Despite this, the court accepted the applications and directed government officials to provide all necessary documents to the accused before January 22.
The court observed that physical presence of the accused is mandatory at the time of identification. It said the acceptance of the applications was subject to this condition and would be strictly followed during further proceedings. 
The court has fixed January 22 as the next date of hearing, when five bail applications filed by different accused will be taken up. The remaining bail pleas are scheduled to be heard on January 30.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Ziaul Kamar, appearing as the public prosecutor, informed the court that the prosecution would oppose the bail plea filed by Amritprabha Mahanta. The court noted the submission and scheduled the matter for hearing on January 22.
The court was also informed that Singapore-based Assamese individuals may be brought under the case under Section 358. The government counsel stated that the authorities could independently move the court to include these individuals in the investigation if required.
