Bhubaneswar: Former Rajya Sabha MP N Bhaskar Rao surrendered before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Rayagada on Monday following a Supreme Court directive in connection with the 2010 murder of tribal leader Bhagirathi Mandangi.
Rao’s surrender came after the Supreme Court cancelled the bail granted to him and four other accused in the case.
The apex court had directed Rao, along with Epili Sanyasi Raju, Dilip Kumar, N. Adinarayana and K. Krishna Rao, to surrender within two weeks. The deadline was set while hearing a petition filed by the complainant, Jagannath Mandangi.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjiv Sachdeva set aside the portion of the Orissa High Court’s order that had granted bail to the accused. The Supreme Court also rejected another plea filed by them in connection with the case.
However, the apex court clarified that the accused would be at liberty to seek bail afresh before the appropriate court in accordance with the law.
The murder case was registered at Rayagada Police Station on December 23, 2010, following the killing of Bhagirathi Mandangi, a tribal leader whose death triggered considerable controversy in Odisha.
Mandangi had gone missing on December 15, 2010. His body was subsequently recovered in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The killing was alleged to have been part of a conspiracy, and the investigation was later handed over to the Odisha Crime Branch.
The case has remained under scrutiny due to the alleged involvement of Rao, a former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha member.
Security arrangements were tightened at the Rayagada SDJM Court ahead of the surrender deadline amid the possibility of the accused appearing before the court.
No immediate response was available from Rao or the other four accused following the court proceedings.
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