Pune Court Grants Interim Bail To Elgar Parishad Case Accused Mahesh Raut For Appearing In LLB Exams

A special court in Pune on Thursday granted interim bail to Mahesh Raut, one of the accused in the Elgar Parishad case allowing him to appear for his second semester Bachelors of Law (LLB) Exams. 

Special NIA Judge Chakor Bhaviskar granted him interim bail from April 20 to May 16, for preparing for the exams and submitting his assignments.

As per the information available on the court's website, Raut will be released on a 'personal recognition bond' of Rs 50,000. He has been ordered to furnish proof of his residence during this period. He is further ordered to share his phone number so that he can be contacted and his whereabouts can be traced. 

"If required, the prosecution/ investigating agency - NIA may monitor and track whereabouts of the applicant on that given cell phone number during this period of temporary bail only," the court said. 

Raut who is a forest rights activist was charged with the offence of indulging in a 'terrorist act' under Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 in connection with alleged Maoist links over the Bhima Koregaon violence of 2018. In September 2023 the Bombay High Court granted him bail in the case after prima facie observing that there was no evidence against him. The bail orders was however stayed by the High Court itself and the stay order was extended by the Supreme Court.

Notably, the Bombay High Court had in September 2024, ordered the Siddharth Law College in Mumbai to admit Raut as a student observing that imprisonment does not restrict an individual's right to pursue further education.

"Denying the opportunity to take admission in the College despite a seat being allotted by following the due process as prescribed, is a violation of the fundamental right of the Petitioner, the bench had said, while ordered the college to admit Raut for the Academic Year 2024-25 and for the batch of 2024-2027,