Cuttack, April 20: Orissa High Court today directed the state CID-crime branch to submit a status report on the progress in probe into the murder of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four others at Jaleshpata Ashram in Tumudibandh area of Kandhmal district at 11pm on August 23, 2008. The killing of Swami Laxmananda had led to widespread violence in Kandhamal.
The high court order was issued on a petition seeking a stay order on conclusion of the murder case trial as the CID had submitted a chargesheet, but kept the case open for further probe and not submitted a final report in the past two years. One Brahmachari Madhaba Chaitanya (25) had filed the petition.
Orissa counsel K.K. Mishra informed the court that seven persons had already been facing trial in the case before the fast track court in Kandhamal. But probe is still in progress to arrest the other accused.
“Taking note of it, the single judge bench of Justice Sanju Panda directed the CID-crime branch to file a status report on the investigation progress and steps taken to arrest the other accused,” petitioner counsel Sarbeswar Behera told The Telegraph.
“The court fixed May 4 for next hearing on the case and ordered for submission of the status report by then,” Behera said. Earlier, the CID-crime branch, in an affidavit, stated that the chargesheet in the case had been submitted against seven accused persons against whom prima facie evidence was well established.
“Further investigation of this case is in progress to apprehend inter-state criminals, Maoists and militias who supported them in Swami’s murder,” the affidavit stated.
Petitioner’s counsel M.M. Krishnamani sought a stay order on the trial’s conclusion as results of further investigation are awaited and any additional material found out cannot be used against the accused persons now facing trial. He also sought direction for calling for the records from the trial court. The petition had sought re-investigation by an “independent and impartial agency’’ alleging lack of sincerity in the probe.
CID-crime branch deputy superintendent of police S.K. Patnaik stated in the affidavit that “the ammunitions seized from the spot were from semi-automatic weapons which are reported to be used by the Maoist. The ballistic opinion revealed that the category of weapons used were AK 47 rifle type, 7.62 rifle type and .9 mm pistol”. “The letter, left by the accused persons at the spot, was seized. In it, it was written in Oriya that Swami Laxmananda Saraswati was killed by the PLGs (Janamukti Chapamar Sena). The end of the letter was signed by one Ajad. Investigation is in progress on the involvement of Ajad, a hardcore Maoist wanted in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh,” the affidavit stated.
