Laxmanananda Saraswati

Cuttack, July 14: Orissa High Court today imposed restriction on passing of verdict in the trial related to the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati at Jaleshpata Ashram in the Tumudibandh area of Kandhamal district at 11pm on August 23, 2008.

The high court imposed the restriction in an interim order on a petition seeking a stay order on the conclusion of the murder case trial before court of the district and sessions judge, Kandhamal.

Brahmachari Madhaba Chaitanya, 25, on whose FIR probe had been taken up by the local police and then by the CID crime branch, filed the petition.

On May 17, the crime branch filed an affidavit claiming that the hardcore Maoists, including Sabyasachi Panda, had been involved in the conspiracy and murder of Swami.

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

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

On June 29, the single-judge bench of Justice R.N. Biswal allowed the CID crime branch time till July 14 to file a satisfactory reply to the doubts raised over Maoist involvement in Swami’s killing.

As the bench Justice R.N. Biswal was not functioning today, the case was mentioned as “urgent matter” before the single-judge bench of Justice M.M. Das. “After taking note of the reply filed by the CID crime branch, Justice Das directed that no final judgment should be passed by the trial court without the high court’s permission,” petitioner counsel Sarbeswar Behera told The Telegraph.