The defamation case was filed by Medha Somaiya, wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, over Raut's allegations of her involvement in a ₹100 crore “toilet fraud”
Mumbai: A metropolitan magistrate court in Mazgaon on Thursday sentenced Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut to 15 days of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹25,000 in a criminal defamation case. The case was filed by Medha Somaiya, wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, over Raut's allegations of her involvement in a ₹100 crore "toilet fraud".
Responding to the court order, Raut said, "I respect courts but can't believe that they passed such an order. How can we expect justice in a country where the PM goes to the Chief Justice of India's house for Ganesh festival and eats modak?"
The allegedly defamatory statements were made by Raut in April 2022. While taking cognisance of the defamation complaint, the court observed that the words spoken by the MP had harmed the reputation of the complainant.
Somaiya filed the criminal case after encountering an allegedly defamatory article in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, Saamna. The article accused her of building unauthorised toilets by cutting mangroves without obtaining the necessary permissions from environmental authorities. It further claimed that she was involved in a ₹100 crore scam, allegedly perpetrated through their NGO, Yuva Pratishthan.
In addition to the article, Somaiya alleged that Raut gave interviews to electronic media, repeating the allegations the following day, 16 April. She submitted video clips of Raut's interviews to the court in support of her claims.
Somaiya stated that the allegations were widely broadcast by leading news channels and were made solely to tarnish the image of the complainant, who has worked as a professor of organic chemistry and has been associated with prestigious institutions such as the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
Reacting to the verdict, Medha Somaiya said, "I am happy that I have got justice and the allegations against me and my family members have proved false. I fought to get justice and did it like any other woman in the family would have done. I think the court has respected my position as a teacher and a social worker. I have nothing to say about the right of the accused to move in appeal against the ruling."
Hindustan Times celebrates 100 years of being the Voice of the Nation.
Source Name : Hindustan Times