NCB Mumbai Chief Sameer Wankhede's Father Files ₹ 1.25 Cr Defamation Suit In High Court Against Nawab Malik

Dhyandev Wankhede (72) has sought a declaration that Malik's remarks, in press releases or interviews or social media including but not limited to his Twitter account, are "tortious and defamatory in nature".

Wankhede has sought a permanent injunction restraining Malik, his party members and all others acting under or on his instructions from publishing, writing or speaking in the media or publishing in any manner defamatory material about him and his family members.

He has further sought deletion of articles, tweets, interviews, including in electronic and social media against him and his family, and temporary injunction restraining them "from publishing, writing and speaking in any media".

Wankhede's counsels mentioned the matter before the vacation bench of Justice SJ Kathawalla on Friday. The bench has now posted the matter for hearing on Monday (tomorrow). "Leave to file the above suit is granted. Stand over to November 8, 2021", Justice Kathawalla said in the order.

During the hearing, Wankhede's counsels argued that Malik was calling the entire family a fraud, raising questions about their religious beliefs, saying they were not Hindus. Moreover, he submitted that Malik's claims were affecting Wankhede's daughter – Yasmin's- legal practice.

Giving a background of Sameer Wankhede's history with Malik, the lawyer said that Malik's son-in-law, Sameer Khan, was arrested by the NCB in February and granted bail months later, in September. An appeal against his bail is pending in High Court and this was Malik's way of getting back at the family.

Lastly, has sought direction to Malik to pay him Rs 1.25 crore as compensation for the "irreparable loss, damage, harm, prejudice to the name, character, reputation and societal image of plaintiff and his family members".

In other developments, the probe into the Cruise Ship Drugs Case in which actor Shahrukh Khan's son Aryan Khan is an accused was transferred to a Special Investigation Team (SIT). This comes following several personal and service-related allegations levelled against Sameer Wankhede.