Today, On 28th November, Sameer Wankhede, former zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), petitioned the Bombay High Court to transfer the investigation of an atrocities case against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik to an independent agency, such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Wankhede, a member of the Mahar Scheduled Caste, alleges that police inaction on his August 2022 complaint has caused significant mental distress and humiliation to him and his family.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday requested the city police to provide details regarding the investigation into a case against NCP leader Nawab Malik under the Atrocities Act, based on a complaint from IRS officer Sameer Wankhede.
Wankhede, who serves as the additional commissioner in the Directorate General of Taxpayer Services (DGTS) and belongs to the Mahar Scheduled Caste, approached the High Court last week seeking the transfer of the case to the CBI, citing police inaction.
A division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan instructed the officer from Mumbai’s Goregaon police station to appear before the court on the next hearing date with the case diary. The court expects to receive an update on the investigation within two weeks.
In his plea, filed through advocate Sana Raees Khan, Wankhede alleged that the lack of action from the police has caused significant mental distress and humiliation for him and his family.
In August 2022, Wankhede lodged a complaint against Malik at the Goregaon police station under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The complaint accused Malik of making defamatory remarks about Wankhede and his family based on their caste during interviews and on social media.
As of now, Malik has not been arrested, nor has a chargesheet been filed in the case. In his petition submitted on November 20, Wankhede claimed that the police had not conducted any investigation and requested that the CBI take over the case. He also asked for court oversight of the investigation.
Wankhede’s petition states,
“The lackadaisical approach of the police machinery has caused grave injustice to the pain and mental distress suffered by the petitioner… on being humiliated and defamed on the basis of their caste and race.”
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In 2021, Wankhede’s father had filed a defamation suit against Malik in the High Court, which led to a directive for Malik to refrain from making further remarks. Despite this order, Wankhede alleges that Malik continued to make slanderous comments against him and his family.
Wankhede asserted that Malik’s derogatory remarks began after the arrest of his son-in-law, Sameer Khan, in a drug case in 2021. He claims that following this arrest, Malik initiated a campaign to defame him and his family, targeting their caste and questioning the validity of his caste certificate.
Additionally, Wankhede had previously filed a complaint with the Scheduled Caste Commission in October 2021, seeking action against Malik.
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