Bhubaneswar, Aug. 18 -- An Odisha sessions court in Gajapati district on Tuesday acquitted Maoist leader Duna Kesaba Rao alias "Azad" in the 2008 murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati after prosecution failed to establish his identity or involvement in the killings through reliable evidence.

Additional sessions judge Satyanarayan Patra acquitted Rao, 45, of charges including murder, criminal conspiracy, rioting, house-trespass and theft, saying suspicion, however strong, cannot substitute proof.

Rao has been in judicial custody in a Bhubaneswar jail since his arrest by Odisha Police in 2010. HT has reviewed the judgement.

"Suspicion, however strong, cannot substitute proof," the court said, emphasising that a conspiracy can...