Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Aug 18: In response to a defamation complaint filed by Medha Somaiya, the wife of Kirit Somaiya, the vice president of the BJP’s Maharashtra branch, Sanjay Raut, a member of the Shiv Sena, pleaded ‘not guilty’ before a magistrate court on Thursday.
A few days after Raut showed up to revoke the bailable warrant Metropolitan Magistrate PI Mokashi had issued against him for failing to show up in the case, he was detained by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering investigation and later remanded to judicial custody.
Somaiya’s lawyer, Vivekananda Gupta, requested a production warrant for Raut, which the court granted. Raut was then ordered to attend via video conference so that his statement could be recorded.
If the accused enters a guilty plea, the magistrate may choose the appropriate punishment depending on the gravity of the offence and the accused’s prior behaviour.
After the Magistrate frames accusations against Raut because he entered a plea of not guilty, the trial in the case will start. The conflict started after Somaiya read an allegedly defamatory article in the Marathi newspaper ‘Saamna,’ whose editor-in-chief is Raut, accusing her of being involved in a Rs 100 Crore toilet scam. A report to that effect was submitted to the Maharashtra government by Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Chahal.
The article purportedly claimed that Somaiya constructed illegal restrooms by destroying mangroves without getting permission from the appropriate environmental authorities, according to the complaint.
Somaiya requested that the court issue a notice to Raut and begin proceedings against him for defamation under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code after alleging that Raut made false and totally defamatory claims against her and her husband.
The matter will be heard again on September 19.
