CM Sarma’s call to rally against judges draws contempt accusation from Sivasagar MLA

Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi has charged Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with urging people to protest against judges and witnesses in the Zubeen Garg death case. The chief minister had warned on Friday that a group threatening to surround his home over the case could amount to an attempt on his life, and said he would refer the matter to the Supreme Court and the Gauhati High Court. Gogoi replied that the minister’s comments amounted to contempt of court and stressed that his protests target the state government's handling of the investigation, not the judiciary. He clarified that the Raijor Dal leader never called for encircling courts and that the rally organised by the Zubeen Garg Nyay Dabi Samiti focuses on the lack of a solid charge sheet from the Special Investigation Team. The SIT, according to Gogoi, failed to gather crucial evidence from the scene in Singapore where Garg drowned on September 19, 2025, and its draft charge sheet lacks strong circumstantial proof. Gogoi also pointed out that the chief minister had earlier described the death as a pre‑planned murder in the 2025 assembly session and later urged the public to confront roughly 160 witnesses who he says changed their statements to help accused singer Amritprava Mahanta obtain bail on October 9. Demanding a central bureau probe, Gogoi said the state’s investigative team is being kept under the chief minister’s control, limiting a wider inquiry.

Context

The case has become a flashpoint between the state’s executive and the judiciary, highlighting how political pressure can affect high‑profile investigations. In India, the CBI is often called in when state agencies are perceived to be unable or unwilling to conduct an impartial probe.