Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut were allowed bail by a magistrate court in Mumbai for Rs 15,000 each in a defamation case filed by Shivsena MP Rahul Shewale for an article agaisnt him in Saamna Daily.
The case was initiated over an article published in the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana. Shewale had claimed the article contained defamatory content against him. Both appeared before the court today and plead not guilty. Sanjay Raut appeared before the court physically and Uddhav Thackeray was allowed an appearance through VC. The next date of hearing is 14th September.
Shewale, who belongs to the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, has sought action against the two leaders under Indian Penal Code sections 500 (punishment for defamation) and 501 (printing or engraving matter knowing it to be defamatory) for publishing defamatory articles against him in the Marathi and Hindi editions of Saamana. While Thackeray is the chief editor of Saamana, Raut is its executive editor.
In the complaint, filed through advocate Chitra Salunke, Shewale took objection to the articles with the headline Rahul Shewale has hotel, real estate business in Karachi' published on December 29, 2022. The complainant strongly refuted all the allegations made in the said articles and categorically stated that this is merely a feeble attempt to damage the reputation and political career of the complainant by levelling false accusations against him to malign his image before the public at large, the complaint read.