Bhima-Koregaon Case: Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail To Activist Mahesh Raut

The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail for two weeks to activist Mahesh Raut, an accused in the Bhima-Koregaon case, to attend rituals following the death of his grandmother.

A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti granted interim bail to Raut from June 26 to July 10.

The bench ordered that Raut has to surrender without fail on July 10.

The interim bail will be subject to the terms and conditions set by the Special NIA court, it added.

"Considering facts and circumstances, and period of incarceration already undergone, and the nature of the request made, we are inclined to grant interim bail of two weeks to the applicant (Raut), which may commence from 26 June and end on 10 July. Terms and conditions of release will be stated by the NIA Special Court. NIA can request the trial court to impose stringent conditions. The applicant shall surrender on July 10," the apex court stated in its order.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) opposed the 33-year-old Raut's interim bail plea.

On the last date of the hearing, Raut's counsel had told the apex court that this was an interim bail plea to go to Gadchiroli to attend the rituals after the death of his grandmother.

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 apex court after NIA had challenged the September 21 order of the Bombay High Court granting bail to Raut, who was arrested in June 2018 and is presently lodged in judicial custody at the Taloja prison.

As per the prosecution provocative and inflammatory speeches were made at the event that was allegedly backed by banned terror outfit CPI(M), which later led to violence at Koregaon Bhima village near Pune in 2018.

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