Mumbai Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has got a big relief in a defamation case. The Mumbai sessions court acquitted him in the complaint filed by Medha Somaiya, wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, while accepting his revision petition.
Earlier last year, the magistrate court had convicted Raut under the defamation section of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to 15 days imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000. However, the sentence was stayed so that they could challenge the order in the higher court. After this Raut filed an appeal in the sessions court.
During the hearing of the case, the arguments of both the parties were heard in detail. Hearing judge Mahesh Jadhav allowed Raut’s plea after the completion of final arguments earlier this month.
Advocate Manoj Pingle, appearing for Raut, argued that his client had not intended to defame any particular person. At the same time, senior advocate Laxman Kanal, appearing on behalf of Medha Somaiya, said that the investigation found no basis for the alleged scam, hence the public allegations were defamatory.
Actually, the controversy started when Raut, while talking to the media, had alleged an alleged scam of Rs 100 crore in the public toilet construction project in Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation area and said that the Somaiya couple was involved in it.
According to the complainant, this work was handed over to five NGOs through a tender process in the year 2007, one of which was related to the Somaiya family. The total cost of the project was reported to be around Rs 22 crore, making the claim of a Rs 100 crore scam not factually possible.
The magistrate court, in its earlier order, had said that Medha Somaiya is an educated and eminent personality and the allegations have damaged her image and caused mental anguish. It was also commented that being an MP, Raut has a high level of responsibility when making public statements.
Now after the decision of the sessions court, Raut has got relief in this matter.