“Character Assassination Without Proof” : MP Sanjay Raut Files Defamation Complaint Against BJP's Kirit Somaiya

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut has filed a criminal defamation case against ex-MP and BJP member Kirit Somaiya on Monday regarding allegedly defamatory tweets from 2022.

Raut, editor of Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ claims Somaiya’s tweets are “destructive” and amount to “character assassination without any proof.”

The case was filed in the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court at Mulund under Section 190 of the CrPC seeking Somaiya’s prosecution under sections 499 and 500 related to defamation under the IPC.

“I say that, the reason behind the act of accused indulging into making such continuos libelous and slanderous statement on twitter with malafide intention is just to defame my character thereby, tarnishing, disrupting my goodwill; which I have earned in the society after lots of hard work over a period since last so many years. The Accused is making such statement on his twitter page mentioned hereinabove are completely offensive and destructive; it is divulging into character assassination without any proof,” the complaint states.

Moreover, all the statements by Somaiya on his twitter page are “mischievous,” “defamatory” and “libelous” in nature; amounting to an offence punishable under section 500 of Indian Penal Code, Raut claims.

To demonstrate his goodwill Raut claims he has authored several books, including one on Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray which was made into a biopic titled “Thackeray”. Raut states that he has over 1.2 million followers on Twitter as against Somaiya’s 391 thousand.

Somaiya’s allegedly objectionable tweets include calling Raut “corrupt” and also pertain to the time he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Patra Chawl scam.

“Since the year 2022, I noticed that the accused made some tweets on his twitter account with defamatory statements against me, which are completely unwarranted statements, amounts to defamation against me,” Raut’s complaint said.