Mumbai, February 17: A Mumbai court has postponed the hearing on Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut‘s appeal against his conviction in a defamation case. Raut had appealed against a ruling made by Medha K. Somaiya, the wife of former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya.
The session court deferred the proceedings as no representative was present on behalf of Medha Somaiya.
Raut’s lawyer, Manoj Pingale, stated, “The final hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, but the defendant did not appear. We completed some remaining arguments today and presented case law based on Supreme Court rulings. We will accept whatever decision the honorable judge makes.”
In September 2024, the Mazgaon Metropolitan Magistrate Court found Raut guilty in the defamation case filed by Medha Somaiya in 2022. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail and fined ₹25,000.
Immediately after, Raut filed a petition in court, which suspended his jail sentence to allow for an appeal and granted him bail. Medha Somaiya’s lawyer, Vivekanand Gupta, confirmed the sentence, stating, “In the defamation case filed by Medha Somaiya, the Metropolitan Magistrate of Mazgaon sentenced Raut to 15 days in jail under IPC Section 500 and imposed a compensation of ₹25,000.”
This ruling stemmed from a two-year-old defamation case in which Raut accused Somaiya of being involved in a ₹100 crore toilet construction scam linked to an NGO run by her.
Medha Somaiya, a professor of Organic Chemistry at Ruia College in Mumbai, took Raut to court over his “defamatory allegations” against her and her husband.
Raut has consistently maintained that he only raised necessary questions based on official documents, which cast doubt on the toilet construction project. This claim was also supported by leaders of the ruling Mahayuti coalition and discussed in the assembly.
Following his conviction, Raut remarked, “I have not committed any defamation… this is merely a ploy to imprison me.” Immediately after the verdict, NCP’s acting president Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare labeled the case as politically motivated.
My name is Narendra Jijhontiya. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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