Supreme Court Grants 6-Week Interim Bail to Bhima Koregaon Activist Mahesh Raut on Medical Grounds
In a key development in the Bhima Koregaon case, the Supreme Court of India has given activist Mahesh Raut six weeks of interim bail due to his serious health issues. This decision came on Tuesday, September 16, as Raut battles rheumatoid arthritis and needs urgent medical treatment.
A bench led by Justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma heard the matter after Raut’s lawyer explained his client’s painful condition. Raut, arrested back in June 2018, has been in judicial custody at Taloja prison near Mumbai. The Bhima Koregaon case stems from violence that erupted in Koregaon Bhima village near Pune on January 1, 2018, following an event where accused individuals allegedly gave provocative speeches backed by the banned terror group CPI(Maoist).
The court was actually looking at a plea from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to cancel Raut’s bail. The Bombay High Court had granted him bail on merits last year, on September 21, 2023. But the High Court paused that order for a week, letting the NIA challenge it in the Supreme Court. Since then, the top court has kept extending the stay on his release.
Raut’s lawyer pointed out this history during the hearing, stressing the need for medical care. On the other side, the NIA argued against the bail, claiming Raut was involved in transferring funds to Maoists. After weighing his health needs and the earlier High Court decision, the Supreme Court stepped in with the interim relief for six weeks.
This bail allows Raut to focus on his treatment while the Bhima Koregaon case continues. The ongoing probe highlights tensions around the 2018 violence, which saw clashes between groups and led to several arrests under anti-terror laws. Stay tuned for updates on this Supreme Court ruling and the NIA’s next moves in the Bhima Koregaon violence case.
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