Sameer Wankhede's Father Approaches Bombay High Court For Contempt Action Against Nawab Malik In Defamation Case

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede's father – Dnyandeo – has filed a contempt petition in the Bombay High Court against NCP leader and Maharashtra cabinet Minister Nawab Malik for repeatedly breaching undertakings given to the court not to defame him and his family. On December 10, 2021, Malik had tendered an unconditional apology to the High Court for commenting on the Wankhedes despite undertakings to the court in the defamation suit filed by Dnyandeo. Malik had then tendered a fresh undertaking with a rider that he would continue to comment on the political misuse of central agencies and the conduct of their officers in the course of performance of their official duties hereafter. In November, last year, Dnyandeo had filed a defamation suit in High Court seeking damages and to restrain Malik after the latter alleged that Sameer Wankhede acquired his job under the scheduled caste category despite being a Muslim. In the contempt petition filed on January 19, Dnyandeo mentions three alleged breaches by Malik between December 28, 2021 to January 3, 2022. The first instance pertains to Malik's tweet informing his followers about a complaint he had filed before the Caste Scrutiny Committee against Sameer Wankhede. The other two instances were allegedly during press conferences. The dispute between the Wankhedes and Malik dates back to when corruption allegations were made against Sameer Wankhede, then zonal director of the NCB, in the cruise ship drug case involving Aryan Shah Rukh Khan. Background The defamation suit filed by Dnyandeo seeks Rs. 1.25 crore in damages for defaming him and his family, and ad-interim and interim- directions to restrain Malik or anyone acting on his behalf from posting anything "defamatory" against them. A single bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar had refused ad-interim relief to Dnyandeo to restrain Malik from making statements against the Wankhedes. The single judge, however, observed that Malik had not verified the posts and that his statements appeared to be driven by malice. By consent, the single judge's order was set aside by a division bench of the High Court on November 29, before whom the undertaking was later given. The defamation suit will now be heard for interim reliefs by another bench.

Sameer Wankhede's Father Approaches Bombay High Court For Contempt Action Against Nawab Malik In Defamation Case

Sharmeen Hakim

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