The Bombay High Court has granted bail to activist Mahesh Raut, who was arrested in the Elgar Parishad Maoist links case. Raut had sought bail on constitutional grounds, claiming that his custody was unwarranted. The court granted his plea and stayed the operation of its order for a week. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) requested a two-week stay on the order to file an appeal in the Supreme Court. Raut is one of 16 activists arrested in the case, with five currently out on bail.