Sanjay Raut Defamation Case: Sanjay Raut, leader of Uddhav Thackeray faction Shiv Sena (UBT) in Maharashtra, has approached the Sessions Court challenging the 15-day jail sentence in the defamation case. This defamation case was filed by Medha Somaiya, wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya. Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Aarti Kulkarni had on September 26 convicted Sanjay Raut for an offense under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Rajya Sabha MP Raut was sentenced to 15 days in jail and asked to pay a fine of Rs 25,000. However, the court later suspended the sentence for 30 days, allowing him to challenge the order in a higher court. His petition challenging the magistrate's order was listed for hearing in the sessions court on Thursday (October 24), but Raut did not appear in the court.
What did Sanjay Raut's lawyer tell the court?
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader's lawyer, Manoj Pingle, told the court that Sanjay Raut could not appear before the court as he was busy with the state assembly elections and requested that his bail be extended, PTI reported. His lawyer told the court that Raut would be present during the next hearing.
What argument did Medha Somaiya's lawyer give?
However, lawyer Laxman Kanal, appearing for Medha Somaiya, argued that the bail cannot be increased in the absence of the accused. After hearing both the sides, the court posted the case for hearing on Friday. In its revision application before the sessions court, the court said that the magistrate's order was bad in law and unreasonable on facts and hence it should be quashed.
What is Medha Somaiya's allegation?
Medha Somaiya had claimed in her complaint that Raut had made baseless and completely derogatory allegations against her and her husband in the media. He has been accused of being involved in a Rs 100 crore scam over the construction and maintenance of some public toilets under the jurisdiction of Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation.
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