Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale opposes discharge plea by Uddhav and Sanjay Raut in defamation case

Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale on Monday opposed the discharge application by Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut in a defamation case filed against them by him.

Shewale, in a written response filed before a magistrate court here, stated the plea of both the leaders is “pre-mature” and deserves to be dismissed.

Shewale, who belongs to Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, has sought action against the two Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders under Indian Penal Code sections 500 (punishment for defamation) and 501 (printing or engraving matter knowing it to be defamatory) for publishing ‘defamatory articles’ against him in the Marathi and Hindi editions of daily ‘Saamana’.

Thackeray and Raut have sought discharge from the case on the grounds that there is no iota of evidence against them.

The two leaders claimed they were innocent and falsely implicated in the alleged offence based on suspicion.

In the reply, filed through advocate Chitra Salunke, Shewale said the defence raised in the present (discharge) application by the accused has to be developed during the course of cross-examination.

“In the facts and circumstances, it is submitted that the accused are not entitled to reliefs as prayed for in the Application for discharge and the said Application ought to be dismissed with costs,” it added.

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Metropolitan magistrate S B Kale adjourned the matter to November 23 for arguments.

Shewale, in his complaint filed in January, took objection to the articles with the headline ‘Rahul Shewale has hotel, real estate business in Karachi’ published on December 29, 2022.

“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,” his plea said.

The articles were a “concocted story”, “devoid of any merits” and a classic example of “vendetta journalism”, it added.