Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut found himself in legal trouble on Thursday, September 26, when he was sentenced to 15 days of imprisonment in a defamation case filed against him by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s wife, Medha Somaiya. The case, dating back to April 2022, centered around accusations made by Raut against Medha Somaiya and her husband. Raut had alleged their involvement in a ₹100 crore scam related to the construction and maintenance of public toilets under the jurisdiction of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation.
Medha Somaiya strongly refuted these allegations, claiming they were baseless and aimed at damaging her reputation. She maintained that the derogatory and defamatory accusations were spread through both print and digital media. “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,” her complaint stated.
In his defense, Raut claimed he was merely highlighting alleged irregularities in a project undertaken by ‘Yuvak Pratisthan,’ an organization linked to Kirit Somaiya, in Mira Bhayander. “If I said this then how have I defamed anyone? Everything is on record. There is also a Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation report. I have only asked questions about whether there is corruption. But the entire judiciary in the country is influenced by the RSS, right from top to bottom,” Raut stated.
Following the sentencing, Medha Somaiya expressed satisfaction and maintained her innocence. “I am very happy and satisfied because I did not do anything wrong and he [Sanjay Raut] had just falsely accused me. The judiciary has proved us honest and we got justice,” she said.
Kirit Somaiya, reacting to the verdict, saw it as a punishment for Uddhav Thackeray, the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), as Raut is a prominent figure in the party. “Today, the punishment has been given to Uddhav Thackeray as Sanjay Raut is leader of his party. They both are now exposed. In 28 months, Sanjay Raut couldn’t bring a single document… He had accused me of being involved in a ₹ 100 crore scam. The court said that this is the first time and that’s why the sentence is 15 days, if it happens again then the punishment will not be less than 2-5 years,” he stated.
However, the legal drama took an unexpected turn when a magistrate court in Mumbai granted Raut bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days, offering him a temporary reprieve from imprisonment.
