Don’t publish any articles on Kirit Somaiya, court tells Saamana

The Bombay high court on Monday adjourned the hearing on the defamation suit filed by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya for a week with a direction to the Sena mouthpiece Saamana not to publish any further articles on the petitioner. Mr Somaiya had, earlier this month, filed a defamation suit against Saamana, its editor and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and printer-publisher Rajendra Bhagwat for carrying articles that allegedly tarnished his image.

Mr Somaiya, an MP from Mumbai North-East, has demanded Rs 1 crore in damages for charges being levelled against his wife and him in the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scam. Mr Somaiya said in the suit that articles published in the newspaper on May 15 and 21 contained “baseless, shocking and defamatory” statements against him. He has also made Kalpana Inamdar, who, at a press conference, had made some allegations against Mr Somaiya that the Saamana articles later carried, a defendant in his suit.

Justice S.J. Kathawala on Monday directed the publisher of Saamana not to publish any further articles on Mr Somaiya and also asked Ms Inamdar not to hold any press conference in connection with him. The court asked the MIDC police to submit a report on the complaint filed against her. She had alleged that Mr Somaiya, via his wife, had ‘grabbed’ an SRA project.

The judge later posted this matter for further hearing on June 27. Though BJP and Shiv Sena are alliance partners, their relationship has been strained.