Mumbai Court sentences Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut to 15 days in defamation case filed by BJP leader’s wife

Maharashtra News: In a significant legal development, a Mumbai metropolitan magistrate court in Mazgaon has sentenced Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut to 15 days imprisonment in a defamation case filed by Medha Kirit Somaiya, wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya. The court convicted Raut under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with defamation, and also imposed a fine of ₹25,000.

The case stems from allegations made by Raut, who claimed that Medha Somaiya and her husband were involved in a ₹100 crore scam concerning the construction and maintenance of public toilets in the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation's jurisdiction. The remarks were published in Saamna, the Shiv Sena's official Marathi newspaper.

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Medha Somaiya, in her complaint, stated that the accusations were entirely "baseless and defamatory" and were intended to tarnish her reputation. She alleged that the article accused her of building unauthorized toilets and cutting mangroves without the necessary environmental permissions.

Additionally, the article claimed that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal submitted a report accusing her of the scam. Somaiya argued that these claims, which were widely circulated in both print and electronic media, harmed her public image. In response to the court's decision, Raut said, “I respect the court but can't believe such an order was passed. How can justice prevail in a country where the Prime Minister visits the Chief Justice of India for a Ganesh festival and eats modak?”