The Elgar case: Varavara Rao has time to surrender until Feb 28

In the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case, the Bombay High Court extended the deadline for the surrender of poet-activist Varavara Rao until February 28.

83-year-old Rao, an accused in the case, was given temporary bail for health reasons in February 2021.

On September 5, he was supposed to surrender, but he pleaded for an extension of the bail and later requested permanent bail on the grounds of ill health.

He has been given numerous extensions, for various reasons, by the high court for surrendering before the Taloja prison authorities in Navi Mumbai.

According to the last order, Rao was to surrender on February 5.

His lawyers mentioned his bail applications for urgent hearing on Friday before a bench of Justices S S Shinde and N R Borkar.

In response, the bench extended the surrender deadline to February 28, 2022.

The hearing on Rao's bail application is expected to take place soon.

According to Pune Police, Elgar Parishad, a conclave held on December 31, 2017, was funded by the Maoists, hence the case is being handled by the National Investigation Agency.

Following the inflammatory speeches, the police allege, violence broke out at the Koregaon Bhima war memorial the next day.

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