Mumbai Sessions Court Grants Sanjay Raut Relief In Defamation Case Filed By Kirit Somaiya's Wife
Raut was convicted by the Mazgaon court on September 26, 2024, sentencing him to 15 days prison and fine of Rs 25,000.
Published : February 26, 2026 at 4:04 PM IST
By Amey Rane
Mumbai: Mumbai Sessions Court of Additional Judge Mahesh Jadhav on Thursday acquitted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut in a criminal defamation case filed by Medha Somaiya, wife of BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.
In 2024, Raut was found guilty and sentenced by the Mazgaon court for making derogatory remarks on Medha in the alleged construction of public toilets scam.
The dispute stemmed from allegations made by Raut in the media, in which he accused Medha of involvement in an alleged Rs 100 crore scam related to construction of public toilets under Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation. Somaiya had strongly refuted the charges, terming them 'false and defamatory'. Raut had said Medha had produced fake documents and she and her family committed the fraud through Youth Foundation.
On September 26, 2024, the Mazgaon Metropolitan Magistrate Court had found Raut guilty of defamation and sentenced him to 15 days simple imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25,000. The judgment stated, "Looking at the documents and video footage placed on record, it is clear Raut had made defamatory statements against Medha Somaiya on April 15 and 16, 2022. The statement he made was heard by a large number of people and was also published in the newspapers. As seen from the evidence submitted, the statements Raut made, has damaged the reputation of the petitioners".
The sentence, however, was stayed after Raut filed an appeal before the Sessions Court.
Medha, a professor of Organic Chemistry at Mumbai’s Ruia College, had approached the court claiming that Raut’s public statements had damaged her and her husband’s reputation. Prior to filing the complaint in court, she had lodged a complaint at Mulund police station.
Raut, on the other hand, consistently argued that his statements were based on certain official documents and that he had merely raised questions regarding the alleged irregularities in the toilet construction project. He maintained that the issue had also been discussed in the Maharashtra Assembly.
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