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Former Rajya Sabha MP Nekkanti Bhaskar Rao surrendered before a local court in Rayagada after the Supreme Court cancelled his bail in connection with the 2010 murder of tribal leader Bhagirathi Mandangi.Rao was a leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). However, he resigned from the party in 2025.
Advocate Naba Kanta confirmed the surrender, further noting that the magistrate rejected his bail plea and remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody. "He was out on bail granted by the High Court, but the Supreme Court cancelled that bail, and he surrendered in court today as directed by the Supreme Court. The court has remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days," he said. Rao's surrender attracted hundreds who visited his residence beforehand. Alongside Rao, others including Eipili Sanyasi Raju, P Dileep Kumar, K Krishna Rao, and Adinarayana are also implicated in the murder case, which includes serious charges such as conspiracy and murder documented under the FIR. When asked for a statement regarding his surrender, he declined to provide one, saying that he is under significant stress. The surrender followed a Supreme Court order dated 26 October 2026. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva set aside the Orissa High Courts 22 January 2026 order (which had granted anticipatory bail) and the subsequent regular bail order by the Rayagada SDJM Court on 30 January 2026. The apex court held that after rejecting anticipatory bail, the High Court could not direct the trial court on regular bail terms; such applications must be decided independently on merits. It directed the accused to surrender within two weeks (deadline falling on or around 9 November) while allowing them to seek regular bail afresh before the competent court in accordance with law. The order came on a petition by complainant Jagannath Mandangi. The case pertains to the murder of Mandangi, a member of the Managing Committee of Maa Majhighariani Temple Trust, Rayagada. He disappeared in 2010, and later his charred body was found floating in a dam in Andhra Pradesh. An FIR was lodged on December 23, 2010, invoking IPC Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 364 (kidnapping) and 34 (common intention) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The murder of Mandangi sparked significant protests, with allegations surrounding his death linked to irregularities in temple management. Following Rao's surrender today, the other accused persons are in judicial custody but may file fresh bail applications. (ANI)
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