Bhima Koregaon: SC gives Mahesh Raut interim bail, NIA special court sets terms

Mahesh Raut is being granted interim bail in the Bhima Koregaon case on grounds of his grandmother's post-death rituals.

Published on: Jun 21, 2024, 18:37:57 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail from June 26 to July 10 to Mahesh Raut, a tribal rights activist who was arrested for allegedly provoking violence in Bhima Koregaon in 2018.

Bhima Koregaon: SC gives Mahesh Raut interim bail, NIA special court sets terms

Interim bail has been given because Raut needs to attend rituals after the death of his grandmother, according to news agency ANI. The terms of the bail will be decided by a special court of the National Investigation Authority (NIA).

Raut was arrested in 2018 and is currently imprisoned in Mumbai's Taloja jail. A vacation bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Augustine George Masih heard his case and asked the NIA to seek instruction on Raut's bail plea.

While imprisoned in Taloja, 33-year-old Raut also managed to clear his law entrance test on May 3, 2024.

In September 2023, the apex court extended the stay granted by the Bombay High Court on the implementation of its verdict granting bail to Raut.

The stay was granted by the Supreme Court after NIA challenged the September 21 order of the Bombay High Court granting bail to Raut.

According to the prosecution, Raut's ‘inflammatory’ speeches in Bhima Koregaon backed up by the banned CPI(Maoist) had incited caste-based violence in Bhima Koregaon. Raut is charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act) (UAPA), along with four other activists.

On December 31, 2017 activists had gathered at Elgar Parishad, near Pune, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima Koregaon.

The inflammatory speeches made there led to violence at the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in Pune the next day, the police had alleged. The case was later probed by the NIA.

Three other activists arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, Gautam Navlakha, Anand Teltumbde and Shoma Sen were also given interim bail. Father Stan Swamy, who was also arrested in this case, passed away while being imprisoned in 2021.

(With PTI, ANI inputs)

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