Sanjay Raut, a Shiv Sena (UBT) MP, was granted bail on Thursday by a Mumbai court following his conviction in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s wife, Medha Somaiya.
Under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with defamation punishments, the court found Raut guilty. In addition to the imprisonment term, the Rajya Sabha member was also fined INR 25,000. However, Raut was given a 30-day sentence suspension, allowing him to file an appeal. His lawyer filed applications for both suspension of the sentence and bail, which the court approved.
Medha Somaiya filed a defamation case, claiming that Raut had made false allegations against her and her spouse, connecting them to an INR 100 crore scam involving the construction and maintenance of public toilets under the jurisdiction of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation.
“The statements made by the accused to the media are per se defamatory. The statements have been made to malign my character in the eyes of the general public,” Medha Somaiya said in her complaint, which was filed through advocate Vivekanand Gupta.
Kirit Somaiya on jail sentence
“Today, the punishment has been given to Uddhav Thackeray as Sanjay Raut is a leader of his party. They both are now exposed. In 28 months, Sanjay Raut couldn’t bring a single document,” Kirit Somaiya said in response to the court’s decision. “The court said that this is the first time, and that’s why the sentence is 15 days; if it happens again, then the punishment will not be less than 2-5 years,” he added.
“We tried filing a police complaint against Raut, but it was not accepted because of Thackeray’s pressure. We approached the local court here on May 18, 2022, and today, it gave its judgment,” Kirit Somaiya added.
Medha Somaiya stated that she and her husband would not tolerate unfounded accusations. “This case against Raut would set an example for society. If someone tries to tarnish me or my organization, I will stand up against it,” she said.
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