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Synopsis

On Thursday, a Mumbai court rejected the discharge application of Shiv Sena Leader Uddhav Thackeray and Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut in a defamation case brought against them by their rival Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale.

Metropolitan Magistrate SB Kale of the Mazgaon Court dismissed the discharge plea of the Shiv Sena Leader and Rajya Sabha MP.

Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut had filed a discharge plea in response to the defamation case filed by Rahul Shewale, a former Shiv Sena member.

Shewale had accused them of making false and defamatory statements about his involvement in hotels and real estate business in Pakistan, which he asserted were untrue.

In his complaint, Shewale alleged that Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut had published defamatory articles about him in the Marathi and Hindi editions of Saamana.

Subsequently, the court summoned Thackeray and Raut, and they were granted bail after appearing in court.

In their discharge plea, Thackeray and Raut asserted that there was no concrete evidence against them, and they believed they were falsely accused in the case.

They contended that they were implicated solely based on suspicion. Furthermore, they argued that they had no control over the articles in question, as the assistant editor was responsible for the news selection process.

Additionally, they argued that they held positions of Chief or Resident Editor and not the post of an Assistant Editor, and thus, they couldn't be held responsible under the Press and Registration of Books Act.

In his complaint, Shewale alleged that both Thackeray and Raut attempted to tarnish his political career by making false accusations and damaging his public image.

Case title: Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray & Anr vs Rahul Shewale