Rayagada: Former Rajya Sabha MP N. Bhaskar Rao was sent to jail on Monday after his surrender before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) Court in Rayagada in connection with the 2010 murder of tribal leader Bhagirathi Mandangi.
The SDJM Court rejected the bail plea filed by Rao and remanded him to Rayagada Sub-Jail. He surrendered in compliance with a Supreme Court directive ordering him and the other accused in the case to appear before the Rayagada court within two weeks.
According to reports, Bhagirathi Mandangi, a prominent tribal leader and a member of the Maa Majhighariani Temple Trust, was murdered on December 15, 2010. Following the incident, a case was registered at Rayagada police station, and the investigation was subsequently handed over to the Crime Branch.
N. Bhaskar Rao and several others were accused of involvement in the murder. In November 2024, the Rayagada SDJM Court had issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against six persons, including the former MP, in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, Jagannath Mandangi, brother of the deceased tribal leader, had approached the Supreme Court challenging an Odisha High Court order granting bail in the case.
After hearing the matter, the Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s order and cancelled the regular bail earlier granted to Bhaskar Rao. The apex court also directed him and the other co-accused to surrender unconditionally before the Rayagada SDJM Court within two weeks.
In compliance with the Supreme Court’s order, Bhaskar Rao appeared before the SDJM court and surrendered on Monday. The court subsequently rejected his bail plea and sent him to judicial custody.
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