Sanjay Raut in Medha Somaiya Defamation Case: Kirit Somaiya Claims Police Inaction Due to Uddhav Thackeray Govt's Pressure

The court convicted Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut for defamation, sentencing him to 15 days in prison and imposing a fine of Rs 25,000 in a case filed by Medha Somaiya. Following the ruling, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged that police had refused to accept his wife's complaint against Raut due to pressure from the former Uddhav Thackeray government. Raut, a leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), was later granted bail after the sentencing.

"We had to approach the court to get our case registered, and after 28 months, we finally received justice," Kirit Somaiya stated to reporters, accompanied by his wife, following the court's ruling. "Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister of Maharashtra when Sanjay Raut levelled allegations of Rs 100 crore corruption against me and my wife who runs Yuvak Pratishthan, an NGO that consults on toilet construction. The original tender amount was Rs 3.61 crore," he said.

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"We attempted to file a police complaint against Raut, but it was not accepted due to pressure from Thackeray. We approached the local court here on May 18, 2022, and today, it delivered its judgment," Kirit Somaiya added. He also noted that Raut made 27 different allegations against him and his family between February and July 2022 but failed to provide any supporting documents for those claims.

"This case against Raut would set an example for society. If someone tries to tarnish me or my organisation, I will stand up against it," she said.