MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has restrained Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna' from publishing defamatory articles against BJP MP from Mumbai North-East Kirit Somaiya. The order was given by Justice S J Kathawala yesterday in a Rs one crore defamation case filed by Somaiya against 'Saamna' and three others in the high court.
The high court asked 'Saamna' not to publish further articles which may be defamatory to Somaiya. The judge also restrained defendant Kalpana Inamdar from holding press conferences and defaming the BJP leader.
It further asked the police station concerned to submit a report on complaints or cases filed against Inamdar by Somaiya, while posting the matter for hearing on June 27. Somaiya had filed a suit against the Sena newspaper, its editor and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, printer-publisher Rajendra Bhagwat and Kalpana Inamdar for carrying articles allegedly tarnishing his image.
Inamdar had addressed press conference making allegations against Somaiya which were published by 'Saamna'. Though BJP and Shiv Sena are alliance partners, their relations, ahead of next year's Mumbai civic polls, are quite strained.
Somaiya said in the suit that the articles published in the newspaper on May 15 and 21 contained "baseless, shocking and defamatory" statements against him.