Artatrana Singh Deo, one of the three living convicts in the sensational Parsuram Satpathy murder case in Balangir town way back in 1974, surrendered in a local court on Wednesday morning.

Singh Deo arrived at the District and Sessions Court at about 10.30 am and surrendered. Earlier, 69-year- old Dhobei Podha had been arrested by the police while former Kantabanji MlA Prasanna Pal is still at large. Six others who, along with these three, had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, have since died.

"With Singh Deo having surrendered now, efforts are on to trace former Kantabanji MlA Prasanna Pal," Balangir SP Deepak Kumar said.

Parsuram Satpathy, a young journalist and upcoming politician, was crushed under a jeep near Kalamandap field in Balangir in what is believed to be the first political murder in the western Odisha town. The jeep dashed Satpathy, who was riding a bicycle, and crushed him under the wheels on November 29, 1974.

On May 21 last, the Supreme Court had asked Pal and Singh Deo to surrender in the lower court within four weeks. The apex court ruled that the non-bailable warrant issued against the two convicts by a Balangir court would remain in force till they surrender. A case was filed and Balangir-Kalahandi Sessions judge had acquitted all nine persons accused in the murder case on June 30, 1980.

Not satisfied with the verdict, Parsuram's brother Hareram Satpathy moved the Odisha High Court for permission to appeal against the trial court's acquittal order. However, the application was dismissed at the stage of admission on January 12, 1982.

On December 2, 1983, the Supreme Court took up Hareram's petition and directed the Odisha High Court to hear the appeal on merit and dispose of it in accordance with the law. Subsequently, the High Court registered Hareram's appeal in 1984.

As six of the accused persons had died by then, the criminal appeal had survived only in respect of the rest three persons.