Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut granted bail after 15-day jail term in defamation case
By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Sep 26, 2024, 4:14 PM ISTIn addition to the jail term, the court imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the Rajya Sabha member. However, Raut was granted a 30-day suspension of the sentence, allowing him to file an appeal against the conviction. His lawyer submitted applications for both suspension and bail, which the court approved.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut was on Thursday (September 26) granted bail by a Mumbai court after being convicted in a defamation case brought against him by Medha Somaiya, the wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya. Raut had been sentenced to 15 days of simple imprisonment by Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Aarti Kulkarni for his remarks, which were found to be defamatory under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code.
In addition to the jail term, the court imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the Rajya Sabha member. However, Raut was granted a 30-day suspension of the sentence, allowing him to file an appeal against the conviction. His lawyer submitted applications for both suspension and bail, which the court approved.
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The defamation case stemmed from allegations made by Medha Somaiya, who accused Raut of making defamatory statements linking her and her husband to a Rs 100 crore scam concerning the construction and maintenance of public toilets under the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation. In her complaint, filed through advocate Vivekanand Gupta, Medha said, "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."
Following the court's ruling, Kirit Somaiya expressed his views on the matter. "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," he remarked.
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Kirit Somaiya also criticised the former Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government for allegedly exerting pressure that prevented the police from accepting his wife's initial complaint against Raut. "We tried filing a police complaint against Raut, but it was not accepted because of Thackeray's pressure," he said.
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