Cuttack, Aug. 4: Orissa High Court today ordered for “further investigation” into the Swami Laxmananda Saraswati murder case. The state CID-crime branch had probed the case and submitted chargesheets in the trial court implicating Maoists.

The high court issued the direction after doubts were raised over the involvement of Maoists in the killing of the Swami and the involvement of another community was alleged.

Brahmachari Madhaba Chaitanya, on whose FIR investigation was taken up by the police, had filed a petition seeking a stay order on the conclusion of the murder case trial. Chaitanya had pointed out that no test identification (TI) parade was conducted for him to identify the accused persons.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (Orissa) president Durga Prasad Kar had, on the other hand, filed an intervention petition alleging the investigation to be “perfunctory” in nature and the “mastermind” of the killing had not been arrested so far.

Two persons, belonging to a particular community, were apprehended by the residents of Nuasahi near Gunjibadi, when they were washing blood-stained clothes. Black masks and a knife were also found on them on August 24, 2008. They were “let-off by the police without effective interrogation”, Kar alleged.

In pursuance of the court order, the CID-crime branch had filed an affidavit claiming that Maoists including Sabya-sachi Panda were involved in the conspiracy and murder of Swami Laxmananda Sarasw-ati at Jaleshpata Ashram in Tumudibandh of Kandhamal district 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.”

But the court felt that the affidavit had failed to give a satisfactory reply to the intervention petition and granted the CID-crime branch more time to file a reply to doubts raised over the involvement of Maoists in the killing of the swami. But no further affidavit had followed.

The single-judge bench of Justice M.M. Das disposed of the case today and directed CID-crime branch to conduct further investigation into the contention put forth in both the petition and the intervention petition.

The court directed the investigating officer to complete the investigation and submit report as soon as possible in the trial court.

As things stand today, a preliminary chargesheet was filed against seven accused persons. While trial was in progress, a supplementary charge sheet was filed on May 4 against seven more accused persons.

Apart from Sabyasachi Panda, the supplementary chargesheet had named two 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.

“There is evidence against all 14 accused persons,” the CID-crime branch had claimed in its affidavit.