Mumbai, Aug 20 BJP MP Narayan Rane on Thursday told a court here that he was willing to settle the defamation case filed against him by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.
Raut, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, had filed a criminal defamation complaint against the former Union minister for allegedly making “malicious and false” remarks against him at the Konkan Festival held in Bhandup in the metropolis on January 15, 2023.
During the hearing of the matter before the Mazgaon magistrate court, Rane’s lawyer Satishmane Shinde “offered for the settlement of the complaint”.
However, advocate Sarthak Shetty, appearing for Raut, said that they had not received any proposal yet.
A decision on settlement can be taken only after the proposal is received, he added.
Rane had allegedly said Raut’s name did not exist in the voters’ list and that he (Rane), when he was in the undivided Shiv Sena, had helped the latter get elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Taking cognisance of the complaint, the Mazgaon court had issued process (summons) to the BJP MP.
Rane challenged the summons before a special court dealing with cases against MPs and MLAs, saying no defamation case was made out against him.
The special court had upheld the summons, saying Rane made “vague and unsubstantiated” statements against Raut “indicating malice”.
Prima facie, Rane’s statements were false and publicly made, thereby satisfying the elements of imputation and publication under defamation law, the MPs /MLAs court had then said.
