Guwahati, Sep 29 — A special court in Assam on Tuesday granted bail to two personal security officers (PSOs) of late singer Zubeen Garg in a disproportionate assets case registered by the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell, but the two will continue to remain in custody in connection with a separate case relating to the singer’s death.
The Special Judge’s Court granted bail to Paresh Baishya and Nandeshwar Bora after their defence counsel argued that prescribed legal procedures were not followed during their arrest in the assets case.
According to court proceedings, the defence contended that the investigating police violated mandatory rules and procedures while taking the two PSOs into custody. The court subsequently granted them bail in the disproportionate assets case.
The case filed by the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell relates to allegations that Baishya and Bora possessed assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. The ongoing investigation is examining the allegations.
However, the bail order will not result in the immediate release of either accused.
Baishya and Bora are also in custody in connection with the investigation into the death of Zubeen Garg. Since the proceedings in that case are separate from the disproportionate assets case, the two PSOs will continue to remain behind bars despite securing bail in the vigilance case.
The development comes amid the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Garg’s death.
The celebrated Assamese singer died in Singapore earlier this month, triggering widespread grief across Assam and the Northeast.
The death investigation has involved questioning and scrutiny of people who were accompanying Garg during his final days, including members of his security detail.
The two PSOs have consequently remained in custody in the death case, and the latest bail order in the assets matter does not alter their custodial status.
Legal proceedings in both cases are continuing separately, with investigators examining the allegations against the two men.
The court’s decision to grant bail in the disproportionate assets case was based, among other grounds, on the alleged procedural lapses during their arrest, according to the court proceedings.