Maharashtra transport minister sues BJP MP Kirit Somaiya for Rs 100 crore

Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab

Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab filed a Rs 100 crore defamation case at the Bombay High Court against former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya on Tuesday, after his legal notice for an unconditional apology within 72 hours did not get a response from the adversary.

Parab said Somaiya has consistently made baseless allegations against him through social media and in public since May and has tried to defame him with political and personal motives, violating Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.

"On September 14, I served a legal notice to Somaiya seeking an unconditional apology and withdrawal of the tweets within 72 hours. Failing this, Somaiya will face a defamation case," said Parab. Another MVA minister Hassan Mushrif has also decided to sue Somaiya for making corruption allegations.

The BJP leader was detained in Karad on Tuesday and stopped from visiting Kolhapur where he had planned to reiterate the allegations and file a criminal complaint against Mushrif.

In a separate case last week, the Sewree Metropolitan Magistrate summoned Somaiya in a defamation case filed by an NGO, Earth. The court observed that the complaint prime facie revealed that Somaiya had spoken words and tweeted with an intention to get public attention and harm the NGO's reputation.