Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut was granted bail on Thursday by a Mumbai court, after being convicted in a defamation case filed by Medha Somaiya, the wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.
Raut was sentenced to 15 days of simple imprisonment by Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Aarti Kulkarni.
The court found Raut guilty under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to punishment for defamation. In addition to the jail sentence, a fine of INR 25,000 was imposed on the Rajya Sabha member.
Raut, however, was granted a 30-day suspension of the sentence, allowing him to file an appeal. His lawyer filed applications for both suspension of the sentence and bail, which the court approved.
The defamation case was filed by Medha Somaiya, who alleged that Raut had made defamatory accusations against her and her husband, linking them to a INR 100 crore scam involving the construction and maintenance of public toilets under the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation.
“The statements made by the accused to the media are per se defamatory. The statements have been made to malign my character in the eyes of the general public,” Medha Somaiya said in her complaint, which was filed through advocate Vivekanand Gupta.
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Source: HT
