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What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Hindu Voice Team: The Supreme Court on 18th of September, Thursday granted six weeks’ interim bail to Mahesh Raut, one of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon–Elgar Parishad case, allowing him temporary release from custody on medical grounds.
The order was passed by a bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma. The court noted that Raut, who has been in jail since 2018, is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and requires specialised medical treatment that is not adequately available in Taloja Central Jail or in nearby government hospitals.
Raut had earlier secured regular bail from the Bombay High Court in September 2023. However, that order was stayed by the Supreme Court after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) challenged the High Court’s decision. He has since remained behind bars, despite the favourable order from the lower court.
While granting relief, the Supreme Court observed that the medical condition of the accused, coupled with the fact that he had already been granted bail once, justified temporary release. “The applicant is seeking interim bail on medical grounds coupled with the fact that he was actually granted bail (by the High Court). We are inclined to grant medical bail for a period of six weeks,” the bench said in its order.
Raut, a researcher and activist, was arrested in June 2018 along with several others in connection with alleged links to Maoist organisations and for purportedly instigating violence during the Bhima Koregaon celebrations in January 2018. The case has been under investigation for years and remains a matter of national and international attention due to concerns over human rights, freedom of expression, and lengthy pre-trial detentions.
Earlier this year, in April, Raut was also granted temporary bail by the trial court to appear for his LL.B. examinations, further highlighting the recurring need for interim reliefs during his custody.
The Supreme Court’s latest order gives him six weeks outside prison to undergo medical treatment, after which he is expected to return to custody unless the court extends his relief or decides otherwise in the pending appeal.
