Activist Mahesh Raut gets bail in Bhima Koregaon case

The division bench of justice AS Gadkari and justice Sharmila Deshmukh ordered the 34-year-old, who was arrested by the Pune police on June 6, 2018, to be released on bail on executing a personal bond of ₹1 lakh and one or two sureties in the same amount. The bench also paved the way for his immediate release from jail by allowing him to provide cash bail initially and granting him eight weeks to furnish solvent sureties.

The bench granted Raut bail primarily on the grounds that there was no material to support the accusations levelled against Raut which attracted harsh sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The bench said from the material available on record it could at the most be said that Raut was a member of an unlawful association, Communist Party of India (Maoists), providing for a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment.