Zubeen Garg Death : Festival Organiser Approaches Supreme Court Seeking Transfer Of Investigation From Assam Police To NIA/CBI

Shyam Kanu Mahanta, the event organiser of the festival in which the now deceased singer Zubeen Garg was scheduled to perform in Singapore, has approached the Supreme Court seeking protection against the multiple First Information Reports lodged against him in Assam and other North-eastern States and media trial in which he claims to have been subjected to a large-scale public hatred owing to a false narrative with regard to the alleged involvement in the late singer's death.

The petitioner also seeks transfer of the investigation to an independent agency, such as the Central Bureau of Investigation or the National Investigation Agency, and to appoint a retired judge to monitor and supervise it.  

In a tragic event, Assam-born singer Garg died, reportedly in a drowning incident, while he was in Singapore to perform in the North-East Festival. After this death, the Assam police arrested his manager and the present petitioner in connection with the late singer's death on the charges of criminal conspiracy, punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and causing death by negligence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. A Special Investigation Team is also conducting an investigation.

As per the writ petition, filed on September 30 through Advocate on Record Raj Kamal, the petitioner has become a victim of a "well-calculated witch hunt" involving irresponsible media reports, both print and electronic, which seek to create a false narrative with regard to his alleged involvement in the demise of his late friend Garg. 

"The Petitioner is faced with a barrage of FIRs, more than 54 in number, to the best of the knowledge and information of the Petitioner, as per media reports, in the State of Assam and other neighboring State in the Northeast Region of the country. Furthermore, there are media reports alleging statements by the top Executives of the State of Assam vilifying the Petitioner ostensibly on the ground of the Petitioner took the deceased to a foreign country for musical performance and the late singer's death in the foreign country. Media Reports further indicate that the singer had gone with his team members, relatives, and friends for a leisure activity in a yacht to an island in Singapore where the sad and unfortunate incident of the passing away of the late singer due to drowning occurred on 19.09.2025." 

It is stated in the petition that the allegations of involvement are ludicrous, as the petitioner was not even present at the place of occurrence of the incident and was busy overseeing the arrangements of the festivals. 

“The petitioner could not even meet the deceased on September 19, 2025 i.e., the date of the incident, as he was busy in overseeing the arrangements of the festival and had met him only on September 17, 2025,” he said.

The petitioner has prayed that all social media platforms as well as print shall refrain from running hateful and prejudiced news items.  He submitted that the unfortunate incident occurred in Singapore while Zubeen Garg was on a leisure trip with team members, relatives, and friends aboard a yacht to an island. He pointed out that the authorities of Singapore , during the course of their investigation,have not found any element of foul play.

Following are the reliefs sought :

• Direct consolidation and transfer of investigation from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in CID PS Case No. 18 of 2025 under Sections 61(2)/105/106(1) of BNS, 2023 and other FIRs registered in Assam and neighbouring North-Eastern States, if any, to Respondent No. 4 (NIA) or Respondent No. 5 (CBI), and appoint a retired Judge of this Court to monitor and supervise the investigation into the demise of Late Mr. Zubeen Garg;
• Restraining order against Respondent No. 2 (State of Assam) and Respondent No. 3 (Assam DGP) from detaining the Petitioner or adopting coercive measures against him and his family members in relation to the case pertaining to the demise of Zubeen Garg, thereby securing their life and personal liberty;
• Direction to provide protection to the Petitioner and his family members in view of public and media outrage, and enable him to join the investigation at the office of Respondent No. 4 (NIA) or Respondent No. 5 (CBI) in New Delhi;
• Direction to Respondent No. 2 (State of Assam) to submit the Post-Mortem Report, other medical records, and the investigation report conducted in Singapore (forwarded by the High Commission of Singapore) in a sealed cover for the Court's consideration;
• Order that no cognizance of complaint or registration of FIR** be undertaken by any Court or police authority on the same cause of action, except in accordance with directions passed by this Court;
• Direction to Respondent No. 2 (State of Assam) and Respondent No. 3 (Assam DGP) to de-seal the residential premises of the Petitioner and his family and to de-freeze their bank accounts;
• Direction to all media platforms (print, digital and social media) to refrain from running unsubstantiated, prejudiced, or hateful news items relating to the case until the investigation is complete;
• Direction to Respondent No. 1 (Union of India) to call for a status report of the case from the Government of Singapore;

It may be noted that after the petition was filed on September 29, Mahanta was arrested by the Assam Police on October 1 and is reportedly under custody.

Case Details: SHYAM KANU MAHANTA v UNION OF INDIA & ORS.|WP (Crl) No|Diary No. 56715/2025