Court adjourns hearing of damage suit against Hindu leader

An Orissa court has adjourned the hearing of a damage suit against Hindu Jagaran Samukhya (HJS) leader and former IPS officer Ashok Sahu.

The suit of Rs 50 crore was filed by members of Baticola Parish Church Council, who accused Sahu of "distorting documents and forging signatures" of Christians approving an alleged conspiracy to murder VHP leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati.

Cuttack district court will hear the case on March 16 as the defence counsel sought more time to respond to the last month's court notice.

The court had ordered four weeks time to reply to the notice, which expired on Tuesday.

On October 6, last year, Sahu alleged that Christians in Baliguda church planned to "eliminate Swamijee who was an insurmountable obstacle against conversion and cow-slaughter in the area."

To draw home his point, Sahu had distributed certain fake documents among the media men in which the Christian's signatures were doctored.

The parish council has refuted the claims and said the signatures were faked to defame the church and the Christian community.

Swami Laxmananda and four of his aides in Jalespata ashram was murdered on August 23 by suspected Maoists militants. Despite continuous claims by Maoists on its involvement, Hindu radicals accused Christians and indulged in large scale violence on the Christian community.