New Delhi, Sep 16 : The Supreme Court on Friday granted six weeks' medical bail to Mahesh Raut, booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, for his alleged Maoist links.

A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma noted the submission of senior advocate C.U. Singh, appearing for Raut, that he is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis ' an autoimmune disorder affecting joints, bones, and muscles.

"The applicant is seeking interim bail on medical grounds, coupled with the fact that he was actually granted bail. We are inclined to grant medical bail for a period of six weeks," it ordered.

The Justice Sundresh-led Bench hinted that it would not hesitate to extend Raut's release if the ailment was indeed serious and required further treatment.

The apex court was hearing Raut's plea for medical bail, filed in the special leave petition (SLP) of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), challenging the Bombay High Court's order granting him bail.

In September 2023, a division bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Sharmila Deshmukh of the Bombay High Court had granted bail to Raut, who has been in jail since June 6, 2018, for his alleged links with Maoists.

However, the NIA had secured a one-week stay from the Bombay High Court to enable it to file an SLP before the Supreme Court.

Subsequently, the apex court extended the stay granted by the Bombay HC, thereby putting the benefit of the bail order in abeyance.

The case pertains to allegations of inciting people and delivering provocative speeches during the Elgar Parishad organised by the activists of Kabir Kala Manch at Shaniwarwada in Maharashtra's Pune on December 31, 2017, which allegedly promoted enmity between various caste groups and led to violence resulting in loss of life and property and a state-wide agitation in Maharashtra.

In July 2023, the Supreme Court had granted bail to two other accused, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, who had been in jail since August 2018.

/IANS