Sameer Wankhede's father challenges HC order refusing to pass injunction on Nawab Malik

In a big development, NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede's father Dnyandev challenged the order of the Bombay High Court on his defamation suit against Nawab Malik. Dnyandev Wankhede had 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. Besides seeking damages to the tune of Rs.1.25 crore, he had requested the HC to order the deletion of the defamatory material and restrain the Maharashtra Minister from making such comments. 

On Monday, a single-judge bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar refused to restrain the NCP spokesperson from making statements against Dnyandev Wankhede and his family members. However, he directed Malik to conduct "reasonable verification" of facts before publishing or speaking anything which amounts to defamation of the Wankhede family. Assailing this order before a division bench of the HC, the NCB Mumbai Zonal Director's father demanded that he shouldn't be addressed as 'Dawood' and Malik shouldn't be allowed to write offensive posts against his family. 

In his order, Justice Jamdar held, "It is obvious that the tweets media content, videos, press conference etc. are actuated by malice or personal animosity. However, at this stage it cannot be said that the same are totally false. It cannot be said that the Defendant (Nawab Malik) has acted after reasonable verification of the facts, however, at this prima facie stage and on the basis of material on record, it cannot be said that allegations made by the Defendant are totally false." 

Nawab Malik's charges against Sameer Wankhede

On October 25, Nawab Malik alleged that Sameer Wankhede 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. He stated 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. Clarifying that he harbours no ill-will against the NCB, he claimed that Wankhede registers "fake cases"  in order to extort money from people.

Moreover, he alleged that the NCB Mumbai Zonal Director is tapping phones via two private persons. The Maharashtra Minister 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. It is pertinent to note that Dnyandev Wankhede has already filed a police complaint demanding 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. 

Image: ANI