Bhima Koregaon accused Mahesh Raut gets interim bail to give LL.B exams

A special court in Mumbai on Thursday granted interim bail to Mahesh Raut, one of the accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, to enable him to attend his second-semester LL.B examinations. [Mahesh Raut v Vishrambaug Police Station].The court permitted Raut to be released on bail from April 20 to May 16 for preparing and attending his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) exams.Special Judge Chakor Bhaviskar permitted Raut to be released on bail from April 20 to May 16 to appear for his exams on the condition that he executes a personal recognizance bond of ₹50,000 along with a surety of the same amount.Raut, who has been behind bars since his arrest by Pune police in 2018, is currently in Taloja Central Jail. He has been pursuing LL.B while in custody..In his application before the court, Raut also requested permission to appear for exams and complete his viva assignment presentation during the week of April 4 to 9. The Court directed the Navi Mumbai police commissionerate to provide a police escort to transport Raut to his law college during this period. After the completion of his exams, Raut will be returned to jail under police supervision.Raut had been granted regular bail by the Bombay High Court in September 2023, but the order was stayed for a week by the court when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) sought time to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court subsequently extended the stay and Raut, therefore, continues to be in custody..Before approaching the High Court for bail, Raut’s plea was rejected by a special NIA court in November 2021. During his arguments in the High Court, Raut emphasized that he is a forest rights activist and a former fellow of the Prime Minister’s Rural Development Programme. In response, the NIA opposed his bail, alleging that Raut had recruited college students into the Communist Party of India (Maoist). The NIA’s counsel further claimed that Raut had received ₹5 lakh from the Maoist organization, alongside co-accused Surendra Gadling and Sudhir Dhawale.However, the High Court granted Raut bail which was later stayed by the apex court..Advocate Vijay Hiremath appeared for RautSpecial Public Prosecutor Prakash Shetty appeared for the State.[Read Order]