A Mumbai court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against BJP MLA Nitesh Rane in a defamation case filed by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.
Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Aarti A Kulkarni issued the NBW after Rane failed to appear in court on Tuesday.
Rane had previously faced an NBW in January, which was canceled following his appearance on February 26. However, he has since missed multiple court dates, seeking exemptions on various grounds. On Tuesday, the court rejected his latest exemption plea.
Raut’s lawyer subsequently requested the issuance of a warrant against Rane, which the court approved, scheduling the next hearing for October 17. The defamation complaint stems from remarks Rane made in May last year, allegedly calling Raut a “snake” who would betray Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and join the NCP within a month. Raut, a Rajya Sabha member, labeled these comments as “defamatory and blatantly false.”
