Mumbai court rejects Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut's discharge plea in defamation case

Uddhav Thackeray/PTI

A court in Mumbai has dismissed the discharge application filed by Uddhav Thackeray, the president of Shiv Sena (UBT), and the party's MP Sanjay Raut in a defamation case initiated by rival Shiv Sena faction leader Rahul Shewale, stated a report in PTI.

According to the report, Shewale's complaint alleges that Thackeray and Raut published defamatory articles against him in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece "Saamana." Notably, Thackeray serves as the editor of "Saamana," while Raut holds the position of executive editor. On the other hand, Shewale leads Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction in the Lok Sabha.

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The request for discharge in the case, filed by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Thackeray and Rajya Sabha member Raut, was rejected by Metropolitan Magistrate SB Kale, the PTI report further stated. The detailed court order was not immediately available, and the case has been adjourned until November 9 for the recording of evidence.

The report stated that Shewale sought action against the two leaders under Indian Penal Code sections 500 (punishment for defamation) and 501 (printing or engraving matter knowing it to be defamatory) for their alleged publication of "defamatory" articles in the Marathi and Hindi editions of "Saamana."

In their discharge application, Thackeray and Raut maintained their innocence, asserting that there was no evidence against them and that they were "falsely implicated in the alleged offence based on suspicion."

Shewale, who filed the complaint in January of this year through advocate Chitra Salunke, strongly refuted the allegations made in the articles, which carried the headline "Rahul Shewale has a hotel, real estate business in Karachi," published on December 29, 2022. He argued that the articles were a "concocted story," lacked merit, and amounted to "vendetta journalism" designed to tarnish his image and political career.

"The complainant strongly refuted all the allegations made in the said articles and categorically stated that this is merely a feeble attempt to damage the reputation and political career of the complainant by levelling false accusations against him to malign his image before the public at large," Shewale's complaint read.

Thackeray and Sanjay Raut had pleaded not guilty in August in the case filed by Shewale against them.