Yesterday, Mumbai magistrate court issued summons to Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his associate, MP Sanjay Raut for alleged defamation of MP Rahul Shewale. Both Thackeray and Raut have been asked to appear before the court on July 14.
Rahul Shewale, an MP and former associate of the two accused, filed a complaint claiming that an article in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' published defamatory things about him.
The article, published in Hindi and Marathi on December 29, 2022, alleged that Shewale had real estate interests in Dubai and Karachi. Shewale's lawyer, Chitra Salunkhe, sent a notice on January 3, 2023, asking about the source of the claims.
In their reply, the 'Saamana' team claimed that they had heard about a woman discussing these issues on the internet and had published the article based on that information.
Following this response, Salunkhe filed a criminal defamation complaint with the magistrate court and also initiated a defamation case worth Rs 100 crore in the Bombay High Court.
The magistrate court directed the Trombay police to investigate the matter under Section 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The police summoned Shewale and recorded his statement. Shewale submitted the original article published in 'Saamana' as evidence.
During the court proceedings, Salunkhe argued that Shewale, as an MP who had dedicated most of his life to the Shiv Sena, faced severe political repercussions due to the false real estate claims.
"If you say that he has a real estate business in Pakistan, that means that he has a good relationship with that country. This is extremely disrespectful. He had to suffer politically and his friends and supporters questioned him," Salunkhe said.
The magistrate court, after hearing her arguments, issued summons to Thackeray and Raut, asking them to appear before the court on July 14.
It is worth noting that Shewale had aligned with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction of the Shiv Sena after the party's split last year. Currently, he holds the position of the leader of the Shiv Sena party in Lok Sabha.
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