A local court in Mumbai Thursday convicted firebrand Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut in a defamation case filed by Medha Somaiya, the wife of former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, and sentenced him to 15 days in jail.
He was convicted under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on Raut in the case.
Hours later, the magistrate court granted him bail and suspended his sentence to allow him to file an appeal. The Judicial Magistrate permitted the sentence to be suspended for 30 days, and granted bail to the Rajya Sabha MP. The court also ordered that the amount of Rs 25,000 to be paid by Raut as a fine should be given to the complainant, Medha, as per provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
The case pertains to the allegations of corruption made by Raut against Kirit Somaiya and his wife. He had alleged that the husband-wife duo was involved in a Rs 100 crore scam linked to the construction and management of public toilets under the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC).
Ms Somaiya filed a case against Raut dismissing his allegations as “baseless and defamatory”. In her complaint, she said the remarks of the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader damaged her reputation and that of her husband among the masses.
Medha Somaiya had also sought an unconditional apology and a permanent injunction against Raut, restraining him from publishing, circulating, and printing material defamatory to her, in the future.