Mumbai court sentences Sanjay Raut to 15 days in jail

A Mumbai court has sentenced Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut to 15 days in jail in a defamation case brought by Medha Somaiya, the wife of former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya. Medha Somaiya, an Organic Chemistry professor at Ruia College in Mumbai, claimed in her complaint that Raut had made unfounded and defamatory accusations against both her and her husband. She had sought action against the Shiv Sena (UBT) MP for his allegations that she was involved in a Rs 100 crore toilet scam carried out by her and her NGO Yuva Pratishthan.

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Mumbai : Sanjay Raut Sentenced to 15 Days Imprisonment in Defamation Case

Sanjay Raut was found guilty under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code for defamation and sentenced to 15 days of simple imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 25,000. Medha Somaiya, through her lawyer Vivekanand Gupta, filed a complaint stating that since April 2022, Raut had made “malicious and baseless statements” to the media about her, which were subsequently published and circulated widely through print and electronic media. According to the complaint, these defamatory statements were also extensively shared on social media platforms.

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Magistrate Suspends Sanjay Raut’s Sentence for 30 Days; Raut Claims Allegations Were Politically Motivated

Magistrate Aarti Kulkarni then suspended Raut’s sentence for 30 days, and he furnished a bond of Rs 15,000 to walk out of court. Speaking to the media outside the court, Sanjay Raut said that he was not the only one who made the allegations about Medha, and he accused her based on documents. However, he was facing flak “for political reasons”, he said, adding that the judiciary was being “saffronised”. He added that that he still had faith in the judiciary and he would approach the Sessions court soon.

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