- 11 June, 2026
BHUBANESWAR, June 11, 2026: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has said that the state government is ready to launch an investigation into allegations regarding the disappearance of two Judicial Commission of Inquiry reports from official government records.
Speaking to reporters after launching the second phase of the Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Prathamika Vidyalayas at Khurda on June 8, the Chief Minister said, “There have been allegations in this regard. The government will launch an investigation to find out the truth, if required.”
The statement came after Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said that reports of two crucial Inquiry Commissions had gone missing during the previous BJD government's tenure. Though the minister did not name the reports, sources had indicated that one of them could be related to the assassination of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
Meanwhile, the Home Department of the Odisha Government on June 10 wrote to the Inspector-in-Charge of Capital Police Station, Bhubaneswar, seeking registration of an FIR regarding the disappearance of two Judicial Commission of Inquiry reports from official government records.
In the letter, Joint Secretary to Government Sarat Chandra Marandi stated that the two reports were the Hon'ble A.S. Naidu Commission report on the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and others at Jalespeta Ashram in Kandhamal district, and the RDC inquiry report on the tragic fire incident at SUM Hospital and Medical College, Bhubaneswar.
According to the letter, the reports were received by the Home Department after submission by the respective Commissions of Inquiry and were subsequently transmitted through the office of the Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) for consideration and necessary action.
The letter stated that the A.S. Naidu Commission report was sent to the office of the Chief Secretary on September 16, 2016, and subsequently forwarded to the CMO on September 19, 2016. Similarly, the RDC inquiry report was sent to the office of the Chief Secretary on May 23, 2018, and later forwarded to the CMO on May 24, 2018.
The Home Department stated that it recently learned that the two Judicial Commission reports were not available in the CMO and remained untraceable despite searches undertaken by the concerned authorities.
The letter further noted that several other reports and files forwarded by the Home Department to the CMO in the normal course of official business were subsequently returned to the Home Department on June 4, 2024, the day on which counting of votes for the Odisha Legislative Assembly election was conducted and the results indicating a change in government became known.
However, it stated that the two Judicial Commission reports were not returned from the CMO on June 4, 2024, and are presently untraceable.
The Home Department said that the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the reports, particularly when other files forwarded during the same period were returned, created a reasonable suspicion that the reports may have been intentionally removed, retained, concealed, destroyed or otherwise unlawfully dealt with.
The letter described the reports as important government records prepared by Judicial Commissions of Inquiry and said their disappearance from official custody was a matter of serious public concern requiring thorough investigation.
It further stated that the facts and circumstances disclosed reasonable grounds for suspecting cognisable offences relating to unauthorized removal, criminal breach of trust, concealment and/or destruction of official records.
The Home Department requested that a case be registered and investigated to ascertain the circumstances leading to the disappearance of the reports, identify the persons responsible and take action in accordance with law.
Reacting to the allegations made earlier by the Law Minister, former Law Minister and senior BJD leader Arun Sahoo described the matter as a serious concern and questioned why the government had not taken steps earlier if it had known about the missing reports for several months. He also called on the government to disclose the names of the missing Commission reports.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Khurda Prashant Jagdev alleged that the reports went missing during Arun Sahoo's tenure as Law Minister. Sahoo served as Odisha's Law Minister from 2014 to 2017.
News Credits: The New Indian Express
© 2026 CATHOLIC CONNECT POWERED BY ATCONLINE LLP
