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Maoist leader Azad alias Dana Keshab Rao was released on Tuesday after spending over 15 years in jail as an undertrial prisoner, following his acquittal in all 49 cases registered against him in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Azad had spent 15 years, two months and a few days in custody before being acquitted by a special court after he was found not guilty in the cases. Azad's lawyer, Swarup Kumar Pal, told ANI that Azad had surrendered before the Srikakulam police in Andhra Pradesh on May 29, 2011. However, he was later arrested by Odisha Police. A total of 49 cases were pending against him across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Pal said that "a case is also ongoing in court regarding Andhra Police illegally handing him over to Odisha Police on 29th May 2011. In the meantime, after spending 15 years, 2 months, and a few days, today he has been honourably acquitted." The cases remained pending for a long period, during which Azad continued to remain in jail as an undertrial prisoner. Azad approached the Supreme Court on July 21, 2025, seeking directions for the disposal of the pending cases. Taking note of his plea, the apex court directed the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh governments to decide all cases against him within one year through special courts. Following the Supreme Court's directions, a special court was set up at Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district. A total of 36 cases registered in Gajapati, Kandhamal and Rayagada districts of Odisha, along with 12 cases from Andhra Pradesh, were taken up for speedy disposal. Pal asserted that "During this period, he also went on hunger strikes thrice--once for 14 days, once for 17 days, and once for 21 days. The prosecution here assured him thrice that they would settle the cases quickly, but they did not close the cases." He said, "Having faith in the judiciary, we filed a petition in the Supreme Court. Considering that 14 years had passed, the Supreme Court directed both the Odisha Government and the Andhra Government to resolve all cases registered against him within one year." The judgments in all the cases have now been pronounced, resulting in Azad's acquittal and release from custody. Azad was linked to several cases related to Maoist violence, including the murder case of Lakshmanananda Saraswati. However, he was acquitted due to lack of sufficient evidence. "There were 12 cases in Andhra, 36 cases here in Odisha, and one under the POCSO Act in Rayagada--a total of 49 cases were ongoing against him. He has been honourably acquitted in every single case. Today was his last case, which pertained to the 2008 incident involving Laxmanananda Saraswati, where miscreants allegedly killed him along with four others, and his name was included. Today, he was acquitted in that case too--honourably acquitted," the lawyer said. His lawyer said Azad had lost valuable years of his life by remaining in jail for more than 15 years without trial and added that the matter would be examined further. "Azad has been released from prison. During his youth, he spent 15 years and 2 months in prison as an undertrial prisoner. In my opinion, whoever caused him to spend 15 years in jail must be held accountable. We will also file a petition in court regarding this," the lawyer added. (ANI)
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