MUMBAI, Dec. 5 -- The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to former Delhi University professor Hany Babu, accused in the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case, citing his prolonged pre-trial incarceration of five years and seven months. Arrested on April 14, 2020, Babu had challenged earlier orders of the NIA court and the high court refusing him bail, arguing through advocate Yug Mohit Chaudhry that he had been detained for an unconstitutionally long period without trial. The NIA alleges he was a co-conspirator linked to inflammatory speeches at the Elgar Parishad event that allegedly triggered violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial on January 1, 2018. Chaudhry said Babu has no criminal antecedents and that his discharge plea has been pending for three years without a prosecution reply, while the trial may take a decade. Opposing the plea, additional solicitor general Anil C Singh and advocate Chintan Shah argued that Babu had "not yet undergone 50% of the sentence" applicable if convicted. However, the division bench noted several co-accused, including Sudhir Dhawale and Rona Wilson, had secured bail on similar grounds. Citing Supreme Court precedent, the judges said prolonged incarceration violates Article 21 and ordered Babu's release on a Rs.1 lakh bond with conditions, refusing the NIA's request to stay the order....