Defamation: Sameer Wankhede's sister files protest petition over police's clean chit to Malik

Mumbai, Sep 5 (PTI) Senior IRS officer and former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede's sister Yasmeen Wankhede has alleged that police failed to probe her defamation complaint against senior NCP leader Nawab Malik "without any unbiasedness".

The probe appears to have been "influenced and, even to some extent, directed" by Malik, a former Maharashtra minister, she further claimed.

In her complaint filed in 2021, Yasmeen Wankhede accused Mailk of making false, defamatory and scandalous allegations against her in various tweets and television interviews, after which the Bandra magistrate court ordered an inquiry under section 202 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and directed police to file a report.

In its report submitted to the court, the police gave a clean chit to Malik stating that, prima facie, there was no evidence of a cognizable or non-cognizable offence against him.

The report cited Malik's statement that his posts and press conferences then were part of his duty as the spokesperson of a political party.

He has no personal animosity towards Yasmeen Wankhede, Malik told police.

Yasmeen Wankhede on Wednesday filed a protest petition, through advocate Ali Kaasif Khan, against the police's report claiming it "attempts to justify the conduct of the accused person, which is contrary to the provisions of law".

Police authorities have failed to investigate the matter "without any unbiasedness", the petition said.

It claimed "appropriate actions were not taken by the authorities" despite clear defamatory words being used against Yasmeen Wankhede, who is also an advocate.

On Malik's claim he made the statements as party spokesperson, the advocate said "it does not authorise the accused to misuse private photographs from Instagram and publish them publicly for his own private agenda".

The matter will be next heard on September 22.

The complainant stated that Sameer Wankhede, during his stint as Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), was actively involved in busting drug rackets and handling various high-profile drugs-related (NDPS) cases, including one against Malik's late son-in-law Sameer Khan.

Out of vengeance and personal grudge held against the complainant's brother for taking legal action against his son-in-law, the accused (Malik), as a countermeasure and counterblast, started making false, defamatory and baseless allegations against the complainant and her family members, the complaint said. PTI AVI BNM