A Metropolitan Magistrate court in Mumbai on Thursday convicted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut in a defamation case filed by Dr. Medha Somaiya, wife of former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya. The court sentenced Raut to 15 days of simple imprisonment and imposed a ₹25,000 fine, which will be collected as compensation from Raut.
Raut was found guilty of defamation under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code. Dr. Medha Somaiya, a professor of Organic Chemistry at Mumbai's Ruia College, sought action under Sections 499 (making or publishing allegations) and 500 (defamation) against Raut. Raut had accused her and her NGO Yuva Pratishthan of misappropriating ₹100 crores in a toilet scam.
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Dr. Somaiya's Complaint
In the complaint filed through advocate Vivekanand Gupta, Dr. Somaiya stated that, on April 15, 2022, and after, Raut made malicious and inappropriate statements against her in the media. These statements were published and broadcast widely through electronic and print media. The complaint mentioned that the malicious statements went viral on social media platforms on the same day, reaching a large number of people.
It is worth noting that Sanjay Raut had made serious allegations against Kirit Somaiya and his wife. He claimed that Kirit Somaiya, with his wife's help, committed a ₹100 crore toilet scam. Kirit Somaiya responded that he would only answer if Raut provided evidence.
