Mahesh Raut granted interim bail to appear for law exam

MUMBAI: A special NIA court on Tuesday granted temporary bail to Mahesh Raut, an activist lodged in Taloja central jail in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case, to attend his law examination. The court granted him bail from January 13 to January 30, on a personal recognition bond of ₹50,000.

The court directed him to furnish his proof of residential address during the period. The judge also directed him to provide his active mobile cell phone number to the jail authorities and investigating officers so that his whereabouts could be traced, if needed. Raut has been asked to surrender to the jail authorities on the day the examination ends.

Raut, a Gadchiroli-based activist fighting for the rights of tribals, was arrested in June 2018 in the Bhima-Koregaon case. He is accused of spreading Maoist ideology, funding banned organisations, and recruiting individuals for the Maoist organisations, as per the NIA.

Raut was arrested in connection with the violence that broke out at a conclave in the Bhima Koregaon village in Pune on New Year’s eve in 2017. Called the Elgar Parishad, the event was held at Pune’s Shaniwarwada to mark the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle. Violence broke out on January 1, 2018, with the police alleging that the conclave had been organised by Maoist groups. One person died in the violence and several were injured.