Raigarh (Odisha). Former Rajya Sabha MP Nekkanti Bhaskar Rao surrendered in the local court of Raigarh on Tuesday in the case of murder of tribal leader Bhagirathi Mandangi in 2010. He took this step after his bail was canceled by the Supreme Court. The court rejected his bail plea and sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.
Bhaskar Rao's lawyer Naba Kant confirmed the surrender. He said that Rao had earlier got bail from the Odisha High Court, but the Supreme Court had canceled it and directed him to surrender in the court. Rao has been a leader of Biju Janata Dal (BJD). He resigned from the party in 2025.
In the order given on 26 October 2026, the Supreme Court had canceled the anticipatory bail order of 22 January 2026 of the Odisha High Court and the regular bail order of 30 January 2026 of the Raigarh SDJM court. The bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva made it clear that after the anticipatory bail is rejected, the High Court cannot give instructions to the lower court regarding the conditions of regular bail. The concerned court will have to independently decide on the regular bail petition on merits.
The apex court had directed the accused to surrender within two weeks. Besides, he was given the liberty to file a fresh regular bail petition in the competent court as per law. This order came on the petition of complainant Jagannath Mandangi.
This case is related to the murder of tribal leader Bhagirathi Mandangi. He was a member of the management committee of the Raigarh-based Maa Majhighariani Temple Trust. After his disappearance in 2010, his burnt body was found floating in a dam in Andhra Pradesh. An FIR was registered in this case on 23 December 2010. In this, allegations related to criminal conspiracy, murder, destruction of evidence, kidnapping and common intention were made.
Following the murder, there were massive protests over alleged irregularities in the temple management. Apart from Bhaskar Rao, Epili Sanyasi Raju, P. Dilip Kumar, K. are accused in the case. Krishna Rao and Adinarayana are also accused. After the surrender of Bhaskar Rao, other accused are also in judicial custody and can file a fresh bail petition.