Shiv Sena UBT leader and spokesperson Sanjay Raut was granted bail by a session court in Mumbai in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's wife, Medha Somaiya. On Thursday, the UBT leader challenged his conviction and 15-day jail sentence in the defamation case.
Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Aarti Kulkarni convicted Raut on September 26 of an offence committed under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 500 (defamation). The Rajya Sabha MP was sentenced to 15 days in jail and asked to pay a Rs 25,000 fine. The court, however, later suspended the sentence for 30 days, enabling him to challenge the order in the higher court.
His plea, challenging the magistrate's order, was listed for hearing in the sessions court on Thursday, but Raut did not appear before the court. His lawyer, Manoj Pingale, told the court that Raut couldn't appear before the court as he was busy with the state assembly elections and pleaded that his bail be extended.