Maoist leader acquitted in 2008 Laxmanananda Saraswati murder case, due to lack of evidence
A local court in Odisha has acquitted Maoist leader D. Keshava Rao in the 2008 murder case of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati due to insufficient evidence. The judge emphasized that suspicion cannot substitute for legal proof in criminal conspiracy cases.
Why it matters
The case is significant due to its historical link to major communal violence in Odisha and the legal challenges in proving conspiracy in high-profile criminal cases.
A local court In Odisha’s Gajapati district on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) acquitted Azad alias D. Keshava Rao, a prominent leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), on charges related to the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, Viswa Hindu Parishad leader and a Sangh Parivar ideologue, in 2008. He was released from Special Jail, Bhubaneswar on Tuesday evening, after spending 15 years in prison.
Additional Sessions Judge (Special Court) Satyanarayan Patra exonerated Mr. Rao in the absence of any conclusive evidence about the Maoist leader’s involvement in the murder.
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