The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim bail to Bhima Koregaon violence accused Mahesh Raut for six weeks.

A Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma passed the order after Raut moved the Court highlighting he was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and would need specialised treatment. He said the same was not available either in prison or at the government hospital.

The Court allowed the plea after noting that the Bombay High Court had earlier granted regular bail to Raut though that order was later stayed by the Supreme Court.

"The applicant is seeking interim bail on medical grounds coupled with the fact that he was actually granted bail (by the High Court). We are inclined to grant medical bail for a period of 6 weeks," the Court said in its order today.

Raut, who has been behind bars since his arrest by Pune police in 2018, is currently in Taloja Central Jail.

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.

In April this year, Raut was granted interim bail by the trial court to enable him to attend his second-semester LL.B examinations.

The court permitted Raut to be released on bail from April 20 to May 16 for preparing and attending LLB) exam. Raut has been pursuing LL.B from prison.

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