Sanjay Raut sentenced to 15 days imprisonment in defamation case involving Kirit Somaiya's wife
- In Reports
- 11:19 PM, Sep 26, 2024
- Myind Staff
Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena party MP Sanjay Raut was sentenced to 15 days of simple imprisonment in a defamation case involving Kirit Somaiya's wife, Medha Somaiya. A Mumbai court issued the sentence but subsequently suspended it for 30 days, allowing Raut to secure bail following his application. He was convicted under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to the punishment for defamation. Alongside the jail term, Raut was also imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000.
The defamation case stems from allegations made by Medha Somaiya, who claimed that Sanjay Raut had made unfounded accusations against her and her husband, Kirit Somaiya. According to Medha, Raut had alleged their involvement in a Rs 100 crore scam concerning the construction and maintenance of public toilets.
"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," the complaint had stated.
Raut had alleged that the couple was involved in the alleged scam over toilet construction, which was made under Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation's jurisdiction. He had made the remarks in an article published by the party's official Marathi newspaper Saamna. Raut is the executive editor of the party newspaper.
Medha Somaiya described Raut's article as defamatory, stating that it falsely accused her of constructing unauthorized toilets by destroying mangroves and bypassing necessary environmental approvals. Following Raut’s conviction, Medha expressed satisfaction with the court's ruling. The couple also alleged that Raut had made a total of 27 accusations against them and their family. Kirit Somaiya, Medha’s husband, is a former BJP Lok Sabha MP.
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