Bhubaneswar, Oct 18 : The judicial investigation into the Kandhamal violence in Orissa has begun.

A one-man Commission headed by a retired judge of Orissa High Court, Sarat Chandra Mohapatra, is probing the incident.

Justice Mohapatra has held initial discussions with district officials and senior police officers in Phulbani before proceeding to the Jaleshapata Ashram, where Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides were found dead on August 23.

The Supreme Court has granted time to the Orissa government to file a counter-affidavit to the petition seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged rape of a nun in Kandhamal. The Orissa Government submitted before the Supreme Court that the petitioner, who is seeking a CBI investigation in the Kandhamal nun rape case, should be directed to place on record some reliable and concrete evidence to substantiate his allegations.