BACKGROUND
The Bhima Koregaon violence, which occurred on January 1, 2018, involved clashes between Dalit and Maratha groups. Mahesh Raut, a tribal rights activist, along with 15 other activists, was arrested in connection with the violence. They were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly conspiring and planning the violence. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) accused these individuals of having links with the Maoists and inciting violence through inflammatory speeches at the Elgar Parishad event. Mahesh Raut was accused of being a Maoist and of recruiting others for the organization. Evidence presented against him included a letter found on co-accused Rona Wilson’s laptop, which mentioned a financial transaction involving Raut. In September 2023, the Bombay High Court granted bail to Raut, noting the lack of prima facie evidence against him and his prolonged detention without trial. However, this order was stayed at the request of the NIA, allowing them to appeal to the Supreme Court. Several other accused in this case have also been granted bail over the years. This includes individuals like Sudha Bharadwaj, Varavara Rao, and Gautam Navlakha, among others. This case was last listed before the supreme court on June 14 where the court was informed of his grandmother’s funeral on May 26. However, on the request of the NIA the matter was adjourned.
UPDATE
The Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Mahesh Raut, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon case, for two weeks to attend ceremonies related to the last rites of his grandmother. This decision was made by the vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti, who specified that the interim bail will be from June 26 to July 10, 2024. Raut must surrender on July 10 without fail, and the conditions of the bail will be set by the trial court.
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Written by – PRATYASA MISHRA
