Charge Framing in Zubeen Garg Case Pushed to Jan. 17 After Defence Seeks More Time

Overview

• Defence counsel, including senior lawyers for key accused, told the court they have only partial materials and need time to examine an extremely voluminous dossier.
• Four accused filed bail petitions covering a band member, a cousin and two police security officers, with the prosecutor to submit objections on the next date.
• The court ordered an inquiry into the circulation of uncertified copies of the chargesheet on social media after noting earlier posts by Akhil Gogoi and others.
• The prosecution remains understaffed with a single government advocate as the promised multi-member special team has yet to be appointed.
• Investigators say the chargesheet is about 2,500 pages with over 12,000 pages of evidence, and Zubeen Garg’s wife warns that examining nearly 400 witnesses could prolong the trial.