Cuttack, June 29: Orissa High Court today allowed two weeks time to the state CID crime branch to file a satisfactory reply to doubts raised over involvement of Maoists in the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.

The CID crime branch had, on May 17, filed an affidavit claiming that top Maoists, including Sabyasachi Panda, were involved in the conspiracy as well as murder of Saraswati at Jaleshpata Ashram in Tumudibandh area of Kandhamal district at 11 pm on August 23, 2008.

The affidavit said: “Evidence found during the investigation prima facie well established that hardcore Maoists, along with their supporters, have committed the murder of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and other ashram inmates.”

However, Durga Prasad Kar, president of Viswa Hindu Parishad (Orissa), had filed an intervention petition raising doubts over involvement of Maoists in the killing.

He had cited eight attempts on the life of Saraswati between 1969 and December 2007 and said: “From the aforesaid attacks, there should not be an iota of doubt that Swami Laxmananda Saraswati was a target for converted Christian and the said target was achieved on August 23, 2008 with his killing. All previous attempts were from converted Christians and not by the Maoists,” Kar added.

Taking note of it, the single-judge bench of Justice Sanju Panda had directed the CID crime branch to file a satisfactory reply to the intervention petition and fixed June 29 for next hearing on the case.

The high court is adjudicating on a petition seeking a stay order on the conclusion of the murder case trial.

Brahmachari Madhaba Chaitanya (25), on whose FIR investigation was taken up by the local police and thereafter by the CID-Crime Branch, had filed the petition. “The case came up for hearing today, but the CID crime branch sought two more weeks to file the reply the single-judge bench of Justice R.N. Biswal allowed time till July 14 and fixed the day for next hearing,” petitioner counsel Sarbeswar Behera told The Telegraph.

In its affidavit filed earlier, the CID crime branch had stated that preliminary chargesheet was submitted against seven accused as prima facie evidence was well established against them.

Trial is in progress and supplementary chargesheet has been submitted on May 4 against seven more accused. There is evidence against all 14 accused persons Apart from Sabyasachi Panda (alias Sunil, Sarat, Babu and Suman), the supplementary chargesheet had named two top Maoists from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh — Ajad alias Azad Duna Keshava Rao and Uday alias Pulari Rama Rao. Three others from Chattisgarh — Dasuru, Lalu and Lakmu had also been named in the chargesheet.