Sanjay Raut records statement in defamation complaint against BJP's Narayan Rane

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut, on Friday, stood before a Magistrate court in Mumbai to verify the contents of his defamation complaint against former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Union Minister Narayan Rane.

He stated how he had been defamed by Rane earlier this year.

Sanjay Raut has alleged that Narayan Rane, in his speech, delivered at the Konkan Festival organised at Bhandup on January 15, had deliberately made defamatory, malicious and false remarks on his election as a Member of Rajya Sabha in 2004.

Sanjay Raut said that Rane had claimed that the Shiv Sena leader's name did not exist on the voters' list when he was contesting for a Rajya Sabha seat. However, the Union Minister said that he had helped Raut get a Rajya Sabha membership when the former was still in the Shiv Sena.

Raut added that Rane has taken credit for making the former a member of Parliament in 2004 at the insistence of Shiv Sena Party leader, the late Balasaheb Thackeray.

Speaking to media personnel outside the court premises after completing the procedure, Raut said that now it is for Rane to prove his claims with evidence or he would have to either apologise or face proceedings.

After hearing Raut, the court asked his lawyer Sandeep Singh if he wanted to get another witness to court to strengthen his defamation case.

Singh replied in the affirmative and the court has kept the defamation complaint for further hearing on September 29 when Raut's team will get a witness.

Only after the court is satisfied that a case against Rane is made out, only then will it issue a summon to him.

Narayan Rane had quit the Shiv Sena over his differences with Thackeray in 2005.