Narcotics Control Bureau zonal director Sameer Wankhede’s father Dhyandev Wankhede on Wednesday approached the Bombay High Court against its order that refused to restrain Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik from making defamatory statements about his son, Bar and Bench reported.
A single-judge bench had on Monday passed the order in a defamation suit filed by Dhyandev Wankhede, who had sought damages worth Rs 1.25 crore for Malik’s comments about his son.
The Narcotics Control Bureau officer’s father had also sought a temporary injunction restraining Malik from making any statements against Sameer Wankhede.
On Wednesday, Dhyandev Wankhede’s counsel Diwakar Rai said that if the court thought that Malik’s comments on social media against Sameer Wankhede were malicious, it should have restrained him from making more remarks, Bar and Bench reported.
Malik has accused Sameer Wankhede of being part of an extortion racket linked to drug cases against Bollywood actors. The Nationalist Congress Party leader has also alleged that the agency’s officer was part of a plan by a Bharatiya Janata Party member to kidnap Aryan Khan.
Following the allegations, Dhyandev Wankhede had told the High Court that Malik, through press releases, interviews and Twitter, had made “tortious and defamatory remarks” about his son.
On November 9, Malik told the Bombay High Court that the defamation suit filed by Dhyandev Wankhede was an attempt to cover up the irregularities committed by the Narcotics Control Bureau officer.
The High Court had earlier held that Sameer Wankhede was a “public officer” and his actions can be examined by anyone. The bench had added that the Narcotics Control Bureau officer needed to prove that the tweets posted by Malik – which Dhyandev Wankhede has called defamatory – are false.
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