Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut was granted bail by a Mumbai court, hours after it sentenced him to 15 days’ imprisonment in a defamation case filed by Medha Somaiya, wife of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya, The Indian Express reported
Raut, a leader of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, was also fined Rs 25,000 by the Metropolitan Magistrate 25th Court in Mazgaon.
The court suspended Raut’s sentence for 30 days, granting him time to file an appeal.
Medha Somaiya had claimed that Raut made a malicious allegation against her on April 15, 2022, and the statement was widely circulated among the public through electronic and print media.
She alleged that Raut’s remark was meant to tarnish her image in the eyes of the general public, her family and friends, The Times of India reported.
In June 2022, while issuing summons to Raut, the court had noted that the complainant had prima facie proved that his comment had hurt her reputation.
Reacting to the judgement, Raut said that he had expected this outcome. “How can people like us who raise their voices against corruption and other irregularities get a justice in a country when prime minister of the country goes to chief justice’s house to have modaks during Ganpati festival?” The Indian Express quoted Raut as saying.
The Rajya Sabha MP said that he had only repeated allegations made by Pravin Patil, the Leader of Opposition in the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, in a letter written to the chief minister at the time. “...So, when I just reiterate this, how can it be defamation?” he added.
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