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Sanjay Raut acquitted in defamation case filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s wife
Medha Somaiya’s defamation suit relates to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut’s alleged statements accusing her husband of a role in a ‘toilet scam’ in the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation.
Sanjay Raut said he was the executive editor, not the editor, of 'Saamana' and was therefore not legally responsible for the allegation published in the paper. (File photo)
A special court in Mumbai acquitted Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s wife in connection with the Opposition politician’s allegations of a “toilet scam” in the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation.
Medha Somaiya, a professor of organic chemistry at a Mumbai college, filed the defamation complaint in 2022. She stated that Raut had made statements accusing her husband of a role in the “toilet scam”, which were then published in various news outlets, including in the Sena’s mouthpiece, Saamana.
On September 26, 2024, a magistrate court convicted Raut and sentenced him to 15 days’ imprisonment, holding that his statements had “shattered the image” and caused mental agony to Medha. The magistrate court had said that even though Raut did not intend to defame Medha, he knew the statements would harm her reputation if published.
The magistrate court’s sentence was suspended for a month, during which Raut filed an appeal against the order before the special court designated for trials against MPs and MLAs. The special court’s detailed order is yet to be made available.
Medha’s advocates, Vivekanand Gupta and Laxman Kanal, said they would appeal against the acquittal in the Bombay High Court.
Raut’s appeal said he was the executive editor, not the editor, of Saamana and was therefore not legally responsible for articles published in the paper. It further argued that the magistrate court failed to consider that there was no proof he had written the article or given instructions for its publication.
The appeal also said that when a public servant complains about corruption in public work, the press has a responsibility to publish it. It claimed a town planning officer had written a letter to the municipal corporation to initiate an inquiry against Medha’s trust. Medha was asked about this during her cross-examination, where she denied knowledge about it, the appeal added.
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