Sameer Wankhede's father files police complaint against Nawab Malik; invokes SC/ST Act

After filing a defamation suit, NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede's father Dnyandev lodged a police complaint against Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik. The plaint was received at the Assistant Commissioner of Police office, Oshiwara Division in Jogeshwari West, the Mumbai Commissioner of Police office, DCP Zone 9 office in Bandra and the Amboli Police Station. He demanded Malik be booked under Section 3 (punishments for offences of atrocities) of the SC/ST Act, Sections 499 (defamation), 503 (criminal intimidation) and 508 of the IPC and Section 66E (punishment for violation of privacy) of the IT Act for making false accusations regarding his family's caste. 

Taking up the defamation case a day earlier, a single-judge bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice Madhav Jamdar directed the NCP spokesperson to file a reply by November 9. He alleged that Malik started making allegations against the NCB Mumbai Zonal Director after the former's son-in-law Sameer Khan was arrested by the central agency in a drugs case. Observing that the statements made by Malik are defamatory in nature, he sought damages to the tune of Rs.1.25 crore. Besides this, Dnyandev Wankhede urged the HC to order the deletion of the defamatory material and restrain Malik from making such remarks.

Nawab Malik's slew of allegations 

Nawab Malik, who handles multiple portfolios such as Minority Development and Skill Development, has alleged from the beginning that the Aryan Khan case is "fake". On October 25, he shared a picture of Sameer Wankhede's birth certificate where he is categorized as a Muslim. According to him, the IRS officer corrected his father's name and used a fake caste certificate to become an Indian Revenue Service officer via the reserved category snatching away the rights of genuine Dalits. Clarifying that he harbours no ill-will against the NCB, he claimed that Wankhede registers "fake cases"  in order to extort money from people.

Reiterating his allegations, the NCP spokesperson revealed that several Dalit organizations would formally challenge the validity of Wankhede's caste certificate and asserted that the latter faces a jail term of 2-7 years if found guilty. Moreover, he alleged that the NCB Mumbai Zonal Director is tapping phones via two private persons. Malik also stated that he had received a letter sent by an unnamed official of the NCB who cited instances of 26 "fake cases" allegedly registered by Wankhede. The central agency has already started a vigilance probe against Wankhede based on independent witness Prabhakar Sail's allegations.