SC Seeks NIA’s Response on Interim Bail for Activist in Elgar Parishad Case

The Supreme Court has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to respond to activist Mahesh Raut’s plea for interim bail to attend post-funeral rituals of his grandmother. Raut, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, has been in judicial custody since June 2018.

The apex court’s vacation bench, comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Augustine George Masih, scheduled a hearing for June 21, questioning the necessity of bail given the funeral occurred on May 26. Previously, the Bombay High Court had granted bail to Raut, a decision stayed by the Supreme Court pending the NIA’s appeal. The case involves allegations of Maoist funding and incitement of violence at the Koregaon-Bhima memorial following the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31, 2017.