A metropolitan magistrate court in Mazgaon on Thursday granted bail to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut after he was sentenced to 15 days of simple imprisonment in a defamation case. The case was filed by Medha Kirit Somaiya, the wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, over allegations made by Raut regarding her involvement in a ₹100 crore toilet scam.
Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Aarti Kulkarni convicted Mr. Raut under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with punishment for defamation. A fine of ₹25,000 was also imposed by the court. After the sentencing, Mr. Raut’s lawyer immediately filed pleas for the suspension of the sentence and for bail, both of which were granted.
The case had been initiated by Mrs. Somaiya after allegations were made by Mr. Raut in April 2022, claiming that she and her husband were involved in the misuse of funds meant for the construction of toilets in the Mira-Bhayander region of Mumbai’s suburbs. The allegations were labeled baseless by the complainant’s lawyer, Vivekanand Gupta, who stated, “A complaint had been filed by the complainant in response to these baseless allegations.”
It was also said by the lawyer, “After the court had gone through the issuance of the process, a conviction under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code had been handed down today.” Following the conviction, Mr. Raut’s sentence was suspended, and bail was granted on his application.