Mumbai: A Mumbai court on Thursday sentenced Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut to 15 days in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 in a defamation case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya's wife, Medha Kirit Somaiya.
Raut has decided to appeal against the verdict in a higher court.
Mazgaon Metropolitan Magistrate Arti Kulkarni convicted the Rajya Sabha MP under Section 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal code and directed him to pay the fine amount to the complainant against whose NGO he had made allegations of financial irregularities.
The court passed the order in a two-year-old defamation complaint filed by Medha Somaiya against Raut, who had alleged a Rs 100-crore toilet construction scam in Mira Road (Thane) involving an non-government organisation (NGO) run by the Somaiyas.
Reacting to the court decision, Raut said that he had merely asked questions on the basis of official records raising doubts on the toilet construction issue, which were also endorsed by ruling MahaYuti alliance leaders, "So where have I made any defamation?"
The SS (UBT) leader said that he will challenge the Metropolitan Magistrate Court's conviction order in a higher court.
Among other things, Raut had claimed that Medha Somaiya was involved in the scam after which she had lodged the case.
Talking to media Somaiya expressed her happiness on the verdict and said that her faith in the judiciary has been strengthened.
“I am an ordinary housewife, engaged in social service and educational activities, but will fight anyone who tries to harm my family members. I am satisfied by the court’s verdict. It will prevent others from making such absurd allegation,” Somaiya told mediapersons.
In 2022, Raut had accused Somaiya and her family members of the alleged scam and claimed he had documentary evidence to back it up, but failed to produce the same.
The Somaiyas first lodged a complaint with the Mulund Police Station and then filed a defamation suit in the Mazgaon Court, challenging Raut’s allegations.
