Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut face court summon over alleged defamation

A Mumbai magistrate’s court has issued summons to Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut in response to allegations of defamatory articles published against rival Sena faction leader, Rahul Shewale.

These articles were reportedly carried by Saamana, the party’s mouthpiece. Rahul Shewale, an MP from the Mumbai South-Central constituency, and member of the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, filed the complaint which led to the summons.

The court order came from Metropolitan Magistrate (Sewree court) S B Kale on Monday, directing the former Maharashtra chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray, and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut, to present themselves before the court on July 14.

Defamation complaint leads to court summon for Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut. Photo courtesy of Prime Minister’s Office/Wikimedia Commons.

Rahul Shewale has requested action against Uddhav Thackeray, the chief editor of Saamana, and Sanjay Raut, its executive editor, under Indian Penal Code sections 500 and 501, dealing with defamation and the printing or engraving of defamatory material respectively. This action is due to what Rahul Shewale describes as defamatory articles published against him in Saamana’s Marathi and Hindi editions.

The articles under scrutiny include a headline stating ‘Rahul Shewale has hotel, real estate business in Karachi’, published on December 29, 2022. Rahul Shewale refuted the allegations made in the articles, claiming they are an attempt to tarnish his reputation and political career through false accusations intended to malign his public image. He described the articles as a concocted story lacking merit, and an instance of vendetta journalism.