The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to former Delhi University associate professor Hany Babu in the Elgaar Parishad case, citing the fact that he has spent more than five years in custody without the trial beginning. The division bench of Justices Ajey S Gadkari and Ranjitsinha R Bhonsale, which had reserved its order on October 3, delivered the ruling and directed that Babu be released upon submitting a personal bond of ₹1 lakh and matching sureties. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) attempted to seek a stay on the bail order to approach the Supreme Court, but the High Court declined, noting the prolonged period Babu has already spent in jail. Earlier, on May 2, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh and advocate Chintan Shah, appearing for the NIA, had argued against granting bail, contending that Babu’s 2024 appeal - challenging a February 2022 special NIA court order - was delayed by over two years and therefore not maintainable.