Paralakhemundi: Around 18 years after the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his four aides, a special court in Odisha’s Gajapati district on Tuesday acquitted D Keshab Rao alias Azad, an alleged Maoist, for lack of adequate evidence.
While the seer’s murder in 2008 had triggered large-scale communal violence in Kandhamal, the disappearance of the Justice AS Naidu Commission report on the killing during the 2024 change of government is now being probed by the crime branch.
Pronouncing the verdict, Additional sessions judge (special court), Paralakhemundi, Satyanarayan Patra, acquitted Rao of charges under IPC sections related to murder, rioting, criminal conspiracy, house trespass and the Arms Act.
The court ruled that while the prosecution established that an armed group carried out the deadly attack on August 23, 2008, it failed to conclusively link Rao to the crime. “The prosecution has consequently failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that D. Keshab Rao participated in the murder of any of the five deceased persons,” the court observed.
According to the case records, around 20 to 25 armed assailants stormed the Jalespata Ashram in Kandhamal district on the Janmashtami evening of August 23, 2008, opened indiscriminate fire and killed Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, Mata Bhaktimayee, Kishore Baba, Amrutananda and another person, Puranjan Ganta. A letter purportedly issued by CPI (Maoist)’s Bansadhara division committee and signed in the name of “Azad” was allegedly found at the scene.
The court found gaps in the prosecution’s case. It noted that except the informant, no eyewitness identified Rao as one of the attackers. Several prosecution witnesses stated that the assailants wore masks or monkey caps covering their faces, making identification difficult.
The court held that the informant’s in-court identification, unsupported by independent corroboration, was insufficient to sustain a conviction.
The court also observed that no firearm or incriminating material was recovered from Rao, no ballistic or forensic evidence connected him to the crime scene, and no handwriting expert had verified that the Maoist letter recovered after the attack was authored by him.
It was observed that witnesses cited by the prosecution to establish Rao’s involvement also failed to support its case during trial.
It may be recalled that a court in Kandhamal had in 2013 sentenced eight persons to life imprisonment for the murders. Rao’s trial was conducted separately after charges were framed against him in July 2025 because he was facing proceedings in other cases earlier.
Rao was taken into Odisha Police custody in June 2011 after reportedly surrendering before Andhra Pradesh police in May that year. He has remained in prison since then.
