The legal proceedings in the case linked to the mysterious death of Zubeen Garg in Singapore moved a step forward on Tuesday, as seven accused persons were produced before the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Kamrup (Metro), through video conferencing.
This was the first hearing after the investigating agency submitted the chargesheet in the case. Due to security and procedural reasons, all the accused appeared virtually from different jails in Assam. After noting their presence, the court fixed December 22 as the next date of hearing.
Those produced before the court included Shyamkanu Mahanta, manager Siddharth Sharma, police officer Sandipan Garg, and bodyguards Paresh Baishya and Nandeshwar Bora, who appeared from Baghsar Open Jail. Singer Amritaprabha Mahanta and musician Shekharjyoti Goswami were produced through video link from Haflong Sub-Jail. 
During the hearing, the court took note of the chargesheet and issued directions for its distribution. Acting on the order, officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) provided copies of the chargesheet to all the accused through jail authorities. Digital copies were also handed over to the families of the accused using pen drives.
Briefing the media later, Assam government advocate Pradip Konwar said that Tuesday’s proceedings marked the formal start of the trial process. He added that the court is likely to commit the case to the District and Sessions Court on December 22, as serious charges, including murder, have been invoked.
The accused were represented by advocate Dhruvajyoti Das, appointed by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), after local lawyers chose not to appear in the case following strong reactions from the legal community over the incident.
