After a slew of attacks were made by Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, Nawab Malik, on Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, many of which also involved inflammatory mentions of Wankhede’s family, the NCB officer’s father has filed a defamation suit against Malik. The suit was filed in Bombay High and seeks Rs. 1.25 crore in damages.
According to a report in India Today, Wankhede’s father Dhyandev Kachruji Wankhede has sought an injunction that permanently restricts Malik or anyone acting on his behalf from publishing, speaking publically or writing about Wankhede and his family. Media report claims that the suit states Malik as the cause of “irreparable loss, damage, harm, prejudice to the name, character, reputation and societal image of plaintiff and his family members”, besides destroying the practice of the senior Wankhede’s daughter Yasmeen, a criminal lawyer who has nothing to do with the case. Malik has a press conference scheduled for later today during which it is likely that he will address the defamation case.
Malik had accused NCB official Sameer Wankhede of extortion in the Aryan Khan case. He had also claimed that Wankhede released purported photos of Yasmeen Wankhede, who is his sister. Hinting at a deeper link between Sameer Wankhede and Bollywood, Malik had said, “During the pandemic, the entire film industry was in the Maldives. Sameer Wankhede must clarify what he and his family members were doing there at that time. He should clarify whether he was in Dubai,” Malik said.
Following the allegations, NCB had published a press release with the factual position on the information. Ashok Mutha Jain, NCB DDG told news agency ANI that after joining NCB, there was no application from him (Wankhede) for going to Dubai. The zonal director had sought permission for going to the Maldives with his family.
Malik further alleged that Wankhede was born as a Muslim, but forged documents, including a caste certificate, to show that he belonged to the Hindu SC category to get a job under quota after clearing the UPSC examination. To corroborate his point, Malik tweeted a photo that showed the agency officer with his first wife and a Nikahnama (marriage certificate).
In 2017, Wankhede married Marathi actress Kranti Redkar. Reacting to the ‘nikah’ controversy, Redkar said that the Nikahnama is correct, but Wankhede never changed his religion.“Yes, there is a nikahnama… but Sameer never changed his name or religion…he got the nikahnama made at the request of his mother who is no more. The pic released by Nawab Malik is wrong…it defames us…we have filed a case against it at Oshiwara police station. Nawab Malik is doing this so that the case against his son-in-law is dropped,” Redkar said.
Wankhede, who is in the eye of a political storm following allegations of extortion made by a witness in the Aryan Khan case is also being investigated by his department.
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