Bhubaneswar, November 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Rajya Sabha MP N. Bhaskar Rao and three other accused surrendered before the Rayagada Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court on Monday in connection with the 2010 murder of tribal leader Bhagirathi Mandangi, following directions from the Supreme Court.
The four accused who surrendered are N. Bhaskar Rao, K. Krishna Rao, Ippili Sanyasi Raju and P. Dilip Kumar. Another accused, K. Adinarayana, did not appear before the court, while the sixth accused, Yella Venkateswar Rao alias Kondababu, has died.
Following their surrender, the four were sent to Rayagada Sub-Jail and remanded to judicial custody.
The development came after the Supreme Court, on October 26, set aside an earlier Orissa High Court order granting anticipatory bail and directed the accused to surrender within two weeks. The deadline expired on Monday.
The case was registered in 2010 following the abduction and murder of Bhagirathi Mandangi, a local tribal leader. His family had accused six people, including the former MP, of involvement in the crime.
Bhaskar Rao had approached the Orissa High Court challenging a non-bailable warrant issued by the lower court in 2024. Subsequently, Jagannath Mandangi, the victim’s brother, challenged the High Court’s anticipatory bail order before the Supreme Court.
The apex court set aside the High Court’s January 22, 2026, order and directed the accused to surrender.
Reacting to Monday’s development, the Tribal Mahasangha of Rayagada said the Supreme Court’s directive had renewed hopes of justice for the victim’s family, which had been pursuing the case for years.
Bhaskar Rao’s lawyer, Naba Kumar Kanta, said his client had surrendered in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions and was sent to judicial custody after his bail plea was rejected.
Separately, Odisha’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) conducted simultaneous searches on November 6 at 11 locations linked to Bhaskar Rao and others in Bhubaneswar and Rayagada district.
The searches were part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities, misappropriation of funds, extortion and criminal intimidation involving office-bearers of a Truck Owners’ Association in Rayagada.
FOLLOW NOW
