The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted six weeks of interim bail on medical grounds to Mahesh Raut, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case who faces charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which investigated the case, opposed the bail plea. The Supreme Court bench also acknowledged that the Bombay High Court had previously granted Raut regular bail on September 21, 2023, but had stayed its order for a week to allow the NIA to appeal.
Before the High Court, the NIA had alleged that its investigation revealed Raut, also known as ‘Rohit Verma,’ is an active member of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) and a member of the Central Convener Committee of the frontal organization Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan. The agency further claimed he actively participated in furthering the banned outfit’s unlawful activities, including recruitment, funding, and providing support. The NIA also alleged that communication seized from a co-accused indicated Raut received Rs 5 lakh from Maoists to be provided to co-accused Surendra Gadling and Sudhir Dhawale for work related to Bhima Koregaon. The trial court had previously rejected Raut’s bail application, prompting his appeal to the High Court.
Source: indianexpress.com