The Justice Naidu Commission now probing the 2008 Kandhamal riots is likely to submit its interim report to the State Government in mid-2014.
The commission, which commenced its four-day inquiry here on Monday, exuded confidence that it would be able to finalise the interim report sometime between June and July 2014.
Justice Naidu, however, said that though the commission is getting cooperation from all quarters, the deponents are not willing to attend its hearing despite repeated notices.
The judicial commission, which is probing the 2008 communal riots in Kandhamal where at least 38 people were killed and several houses gutted, was set up in January 2009 under the chairmanship of Justice SC Mohapatra in the wake of killing of senior VHP leader Swami laxmananda Saraswati.
The tenure of the commission would end in March 2014. After the death of Justice Mohapatra last year, Justice Naidu was appointed as the chairman of the commission.
Till now, the commission received 793 affidavits, of which 194 comprising 72 official and 122 non-official affidavits have been examined. Seventy-nine more people would be examined, but 58 of them are continuously remaining absent at the time of hearing, Justice Naidu pointed out.
Two persons identified as Prahallad Pradhan and Krushna Paraseth of Tumudibandh were to be examined on Monday, but only Pradhan attended the hearing. Eight persons were given notices to depose before the commission in four days from Monday.