Mumbai court sentences Sanjay Raut to 15 days imprisonment in defamation case

Mumbai: A metropolitan magistrate court in Mazgaon on Thursday sentenced Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut to 15 days of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹25,000 in a criminal defamation case. The case was filed by Medha Somaiya, wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, over Raut's allegations of her involvement in a ₹100 crore "toilet fraud".

Responding to the court order, Raut said, "I respect courts but can't believe that they passed such an order. How can we expect justice in a country where the PM goes to the Chief Justice of India's house for Ganesh festival and eats modak?"

The allegedly defamatory statements were made by Raut in April 2022. While taking cognisance of the defamation complaint, the court observed that the words spoken by the MP had harmed the reputation of the complainant.