Bhima Koregaon Case: Accused Mahesh Raut Moves Bombay High Court Seeking Permission To Travel To Kerala For Treatment

One of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, Mahesh Raut has moved a plea before the Bombay High Court seeking permission to travel to Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment after a special NIA court turned down his plea for the same in January this year. 

Raut has challenged the January 21, 2026 order of a special NIA court in the city, which had rejected his plea to travel to Poonthottam Ayurvedasram in Kerala from January 29 to February 7. He had sought to travel to the Ayurvedic Ashram for treating his rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome. He had urged the court to relax the condition in his bail order, which mandated him not to leave Mumbai. 

However, upon vehement opposition by the NIA before the special court, the plea was rejected. Now, Raut has challenged this order highlighting that it was his right to get proper medical assistance and thus, the condition can be relaxed as even earlier, he was allowed to live in Thane for some time, due to his health issues. 

Notably, the High Court had in September 2024, ordered the Siddharth Law College in Mumbai to admit Raut as a student observing that imprisonment does not restrict an individual's right to pursue further education.

Raut who is a forest rights activist has been charged with the offence of indulging in a 'terrorist act' under Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 in connection with alleged Maoist links over the Bhima Koregaon violence of 2018. In September 2023 the Bombay High Court granted him bail in the case after prima facie observing that there was no evidence against him. The bail orders was however stayed by the High Court itself and the stay order was extended by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court later granted him interim bail on medical grounds. Raut returned to custody after it lapsed.

Raut's plea would come up for hearing in due course.