6-week interim bail to Elgar Parishad accused

A bench of justices MM Sundresh and SC Sharma passed the order on an application moved by Raut, who sought interim bail to undergo treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The plea also challenged his incarceration despite being granted bail by Bombay high court in 2023.

Opposing the bail application, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), represented by advocate Zoheb Hossain, said: “The court may consider his serious role. He was transferring funds to the Maoists.”

The bench, however, observed: “Maoists are already gone now. They are now in their last leg.”

Senior advocate CU Singh, appearing for Raut, submitted that the petitioner was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and needed specialised medical care unavailable in prison or at JJ Hospital, where he has been examined. Singh further said that despite getting bail from the high court in September 2023, his release has been stayed for almost two years by the apex court in an interim order passed on NIA’s appeal challenging the bail.