Have been made scapegoat ahead of Maharashtra polls: Raut on conviction

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday claimed he has been made a scapegoat after his conviction in a defamation case and said he would challenge the judgment in a higher court.

A Mumbai court on Thursday morning sentenced the Rajya Sabha member to 15 days’ simple imprisonment in a defamation complaint filed against him by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s wife Medha Somaiya. It later suspended the sentence for 30 days and granted bail to him.

Talking to reporters, Raut asked how people like him who raise voices against corruption and other issues would get justice when the prime minister visits the residence of the Chief Justice of India to eat “modak” (a sweet dumpling usually offered to Lord Ganesh).

He was referring to PM Narendra Modi’s visit to CJI D Y Chandrachud’s residence during the Ganesh festival earlier this month, which had drawn criticism from the opposition parties.

In her complaint, Medha Somaiya said Raut had accused them of being involved in a Rs 100-crore scam over the construction and maintenance of some public toilets under the jurisdiction of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation, on the outskirts of Mumbai.

“I have been made a scapegoat because of the impending assembly elections in Maharashtra,” said Raut.

The Sena (UBT) leader said he had pointed out that some work had taken place in Mira Bhayander through Yuvak Pratisthan, an organisation linked to Kirit Somaiya, and there were irregularities in it.

Even Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik had demanded a probe into the matter and there was some discussion in the state assembly, claimed Raut.

“If I said this then how have I defamed anyone? Everything is on record. There is also a Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation report. I have only asked questions about whether there is corruption.

“But the entire judiciary in the country is influenced by the RSS (‘sanghikaran’), right from top to bottom. I will appeal in the sessions court and we tell the people how we are wronged,” Raut said.

Besides convicting Raut under Indian Penal Code Section 500 (defamation), the Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Aarti Kulkarni also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on him.