News Analysis India

Tag: Sameer Wankhede

  • Bombay HC quashes order that refused to restrain Nawab Malik from tweeting against Wankhedes

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Monday quashed and set aside the order of a single bench of the HC that had refused to restrain Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik from making public statements against the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede and his family.

    A division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and Milind Jadhav quashed and set aside the order after Malik and Wankhede’s father Dnyandev consented that the single bench order be recalled and Dnyandev’s grievances against the minister, raised through an interim application on his defamation suit filed against Malik, be heard afresh by the HC.

    On November 22, a single bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar held that though Malik’s tweets against Wankhede, particularly those pertaining to allegations of the NCB officer having submitted a false caste certificate to secure the central government job and having accepted illegal gratification while on duty, had stemmed out of malice, the minister couldn’t be completely prohibited from making comments against a public officer.

    Dnyandev then challenged the singe bench order.

    While hearing the appeal last week, a division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and Milind Jadhav held that Malik’s statements and tweets against Wankhede did seem to be a clear case of malice and logically, he should be restrained from making such comments.

    The bench had also asked if it behoved the minister to make such comments without due verification and why he hadn’t first approached the caste scrutiny committee with a formal complaint against Wankhede? Malik then proposed that the single bench order be recalled.

    His counsel Karl Tamboly told the HC that Malik will consent to quashing of the order, he will file a detailed reply to Dnyandev’s interim application, and he will not make public statements or tweets against the Wankhedes until further hearing.

    He sought that Dnyandev’s application be heard afresh by the single bench.

    On Monday, senior counsel Birendra Saraf, who appeared for Dnyandev, told the division bench that his client had consented to the quashing of the November 22 order.

    “The court can say by consent of parties (quashing of the order),” Saraf said.

    The division bench permitted Malik to file a fresh reply affidavit to Dnyandev’s interim application that seeks, among other things, that until his suit is heard finally, the minister be restrained from making defamatory statements against him and his family.

    Malik will submit his reply by December 9.

    Dnyandev will then file his rejoinder responding to Malik’s affidavit by January 3.

    The single bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar will then hear the interim application afresh and complete the hearing within 13 weeks, the division bench said.

    Until the hearing on the interim application is complete, Malik will not make any public statements or tweets against the Wankhedes, the division bench said.

    “The statement by respondent (Malik on not tweeting or making public statements against the Wankhedes) shall continue pending disposal of final order on the interim application,” the bench led by Justice Kathawalla said.

    Malik has levelled a string of allegations against Sameer Wankhede after he led a drug bust raid on a cruise ship last month following which actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan and some other people were arrested.

    The minister had alleged that Wakhede was born a Muslim, but falsely claimed to belong to a designated scheduled caste to secure his central government job.

    Wankhede has denied the allegations.

  • Sameer Wankhede’s father challenges HC order that refused to restrain Malik from making comments against NCB officer

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Dnyandev Wankhede, father of NCB’s zonal director Sameer Wankhede, on Wednesday approached the Bombay High Court challenging its single-judge bench order that had refused to restrain Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik from making comments and putting social media posts against the anti-drug agency officer and his family.

    Dnyandev Wankhede mentioned for urgent hearing his appeal challenging the single bench order and urged a division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and Milind Jadhav to grant him relief.

    His appeal is likely to be heard by the division bench on Thursday.

    On Monday, a single-judge bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar had refused to grant Wankhede any interim relief in his defamation suit filed against Malik, a leader of Maharashtra’s ruling party NCP.

    Wankhede had cited Malik’s tweets and public statements, whereby the latter had alleged among other things, that Sameer Wankhede had been born a Muslim, but had falsely claimed that he belonged to a designated Scheduled Caste (SC) to secure a central government job.

    He had sought as interim relief that Malik be prohibited from making any defamatory statements or tweets, social media posts, etc, against him, Sameer Wankhede, or any of their family members.

    Justice Jamdar, however, had held that imposing such a blanket prohibition upon Malik was not possible in the present case.

    The single bench had held that though it seemed apparent that Malik’s statements and tweets against the NCB officer had actuated out of malice and animosity, the allegations the minister had made against Sameer Wankhede did not seem prima facie (on the face of it) to be completely false.

    The single bench, however, had directed Malik to henceforth make public statements or comments against Wankhede and his family only after reasonable verification of facts.

    In his appeal mentioned before the division bench, Dnyandev Wankhede contended that since the single bench had held that Malik’s allegations against Sameer Wankhede had stemmed out of malice, the minister should have been restrained from making further defamatory comments against him and his family.

  • Nawab Malik’s tweets against Sameer Wankhede stem from malice but no blanket gag order: HC

    Besides, Wankhede was a government officer and some of the allegations made against him by Malik were related to the discharge of his public duty, the HC noted.

  • Sameer Wankhede religion row: Law seems to be on his side, says Prakash Ambedkar

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Amid a controversy surrounding the religion of Sameer Wankhede, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Prakash Ambedkar on Saturday said the law is on the side of the Mumbai NCB chief, whom Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik had accused of hiding his “true religion- Islam” and securing a Central job by faking his caste certificate.

    Malik had alleged that Sameer Wankhede, an IRS officer, was born as Muslim but he forged his caste certificate to get a job under a reserved category.

    Wankhede, the Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), had denied the allegations.

    “As per my information, the law is on the side of Sameer Wankhede. There is a similar case where the Supreme Court had ruled in the favour of a man from Kerala who wanted to disassociate himself from his parent’s religion Christianity.

    There is a Supreme Court verdict on February 25, 2015, where the case is similar to that of Sameer Wankhede’s.

    The petitioner’s parents had accepted Christianity before his birth.

    But after he became an adult, he filed a petition saying he wanted to be associated with the religion of his grandparents, who are non-Christians,” he said.

    The Supreme Court had upheld his appeal and ruled that since the petitioner is an adult now, he can associate himself with his grandparents’ religion, Ambedkar said.

    “I think legally Wankhede is clean and the law is on his side,” he said.

    Speaking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement to repeal the three contentious farm laws, Ambedkar said a case is pending before the Supreme Court wherein petitioners have argued that agriculture is a state subject.

  • Nawab Malik shares WhatsApp chat between Kiran Gosavi, Kashiff Khan; asks why no action being taken

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik on Tuesday shared a screenshot of a purported Whatsapp chat between the witness in drugs on cruise case KP Gosavi and an informer that contains the name of Kashiff Khan, on his official Twitter handle and questioned the connection between Khan and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

    Referring to the WhatsApp chat, Malik raised questions on Khan not being questioned in the case.

    “Here is a WhatsApp chat between K P Gosavi and an informer which mentions Kashiff Khan. Why is Kashiff Khan not being questioned? What is the relationship between Kashiff Khan and Sameer Dawood Wankhede?” tweeted Malik.

    On November 8, Maharashtra minister Aslam Shaikh had on Monday confirmed that he was invited to the Cordelia cruise party by Fashion TV head Kashiff Khan in which Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

    Addressing a press conference, Shaikh had said that he does not know him personally and does not have his contact number.

    “Being a minister, I get invited to many events and parties. I was invited to the cruise party by one Kashiff Khan. I don’t know him personally and I also don’t have his contact number. If someone has any evidence, then they should bring it forward,” Shaikh had said.

    The Maharashtra Minister said that two agencies are currently probing the entire issue and the truth would come out soon.

    Meanwhile, the Pune Police on Friday registered a fresh case of cheating against Kiran Gosavi, a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) witness in the drugs-on-cruise case, at Bhosari police station.

    Three cases have already been registered against Gosavi in Pune city. With a recent case lodged in Pimpri Chinchwad, he has now four cases registered against him in the Pune district.

  • HC reserves order on interim relief sought in defamation suit filed by Wankhede’s father

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday reserved its order on interim relief sought in a defamation suit filed by NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede’s father against Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik.

    Dnyandev, Sameer Wankhede’s father, has sought damages of Rs 1.25 crore from the NCP leader.

    He has also sought an order restraining Malik from making any false or incorrect statements against the Wankhede family during the pendency of the suit.

    Justice Madhav Jamdar had in the previous hearing given the petitioner time till Friday to file an additional affidavit to point out how Malik’s tweets and the documents published by him were false and baseless.

    The Bench had also directed Malik to file an affidavit averring that he had verified the documents before posting them on social media.

    Wankhede’s father filed an affidavit listing out 28 documents to establish that his name was ‘Dnyandev’ and not ‘Dawood’ as alleged by the NCP leader.

    The minister, on the other hand, stated in an affidavit that he had “reasonably verified” the documents before posting.

    The judge noted that a purported birth certificate of Sameer Wankhede which Malik had produced apparently has “interpolation”, which would mean that the minister had not taken due care while relying on it.

    Advocate Arshad Shaikh, appearing for Wankhede, argued that Malik was targeting Sameer Wankhede because the minister’s son-in-law had been arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau and could not get bail for eight months.

    Malik had alleged that Dnyandev Wankhede had converted to Islam.

    Sameer, his son, however, got government job in the quota for the Scheduled Castes, a benefit which a Muslim person can not get, the minister had claimed.

    Sameer Wankhede had refuted the allegation and stated that he and his family were Hindu.

  • Mumbai Police record Sameer Wankhede’s statement in caste certificate case

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Mumbai police has recorded the statement of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede in connection with an allegation of forgery of caste certificate against him, an official said on Thursday.

    An Assistant Commissioner of Police recorded Wankhede’s statement recently and is conducting further probe, he said.

    Wankhede submitted relevant documents to the ACP and recorded his statement in detail, the official added.

    Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik had alleged that Wankhede’s father had converted to Islam, but Wankhede got a government job under the Scheduled Caste quota which a Muslim person can not get.

    Wankhede and his father refuted Malik’s claims.

    Wankhede’s father Dnyandev Wankhede has also filed a defamation suit against the NCP leader.

    On Monday, Dnyandev Wankhede filed a police complaint against Malik under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

    Malik leveled several allegations against Sameer Wankhede after the NCB arrested Aryan Khan, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, and 19 others in an alleged drug seizure case last month.

  • Witness Prabhakar Sail appears before NCB team probing drugs-on-cruise case

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Independent witness Prabhakar Sail on Thursday appeared before the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with the drugs-on-cruise case involving Aryan Khan, an official said.

    Sail, who has claimed to have heard about a pay-off deal to let off Aryan, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, in the case, was quizzed by the NCB’s vigilance team earlier.

    On Thursday, he and his lawyer Tushar Khandare reached the NCB’s south Mumbai office around 2.30 pm, said the official.

    The operational team of the NCB which has arrived here from Delhi and taken over the probe of several cases including the case involving Aryan Khan, had summoned him.

    The central agency’s vigilance team interrogated Sail for several hours on Monday and Tuesday.

    Sail, who claimed to be the bodyguard of NCB witness K P Gosavi, alleged in an affidavit last month that he had heard Gosavi discussing a Rs 25 crore pay-off deal after Aryan Khan was arrested during a raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.

    He also claimed that Gosavi had said Rs 8 crore of the deal money was to be given to the NCB’s Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede.

    Following his allegations, the NCB started a vigilance inquiry.

    Wankhede denied all the allegations.

  • Sameer Wankhede is govt officer, his actions can be examined by anyone, Bombay HC says while hearing defamation suit

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede is a “public officer” and his actions can be scrutinized by anyone, the Bombay High Court said on Wednesday while hearing a defamation suit filed by his father against Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik.

    Dnyandev Wankhede, Sameer’s father, has sought damages of Rs 1.25 crore from Malik and an order restraining him from making further false or incorrect statements against the Wankhede family.

    The NCP leader has levelled a series of allegations against Sameer Wankhede, accusing him, among other things, of forging his birth certificate to get a government job.

    During the hearing, Dnyandev Wankhede’s lawyer Arshad Shaikh asked why Sameer should provide any justifications to a person who is “just an MLA and not a court.”

    To which, Justice Madhav Jamdar said, “You are a public officer…you just need to prove that the tweets (posted by Malik) are prima facie false…Your son is not only an individual, but a public officer and can be examined by any member of public.”

    On the other hand, the court also asked Malik’s lawyer Atul Damle, “Is it not your duty to verify the documents before posting? Have you verified the authenticity of the documents as a responsible citizen and spokesperson of a national party?” Wankhede’s lawyer then sought time to file an additional affidavit to establish that Malik’s allegations were false.

    The court granted him time till Friday, and also asked the NCP leader’s lawyer to file an affidavit to the effect that he had verified the documents (related to Sameer Wankhede’s personal details) before posting them on Twitter or publishing them.

    The matter was posted for further hearing on November 12.

    Dnyandev Wankhede’s suit said that Malik’s claim that he was Muslim amounted to questioning religious beliefs of the family, and the minister’s allegations had caused an irreparable damage to the family’s reputation.

    It also sought a direction to Malik to withdraw all “defamatory statements” and tweets about the Wankhede family.

    Sameer Wankhede last month led a raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast during which the NCB allegedly seized drugs and arrested Aryan Khan, actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, and 19 others.

    Malik alleged that the whose raid was bogus.

    He also claimed that Sameer Wankhede was born a Muslim as his father had converted to Islam, but later Sameer forged his birth certificate to get a job in the Scheduled Castes quota and stated falsely that he was Hindu.

    The NCB official has denied the allegations.

  • ‘Shocked and surprised to see my name doing the rounds’: Sameer Wankhede’s sister-in-law files complaint against Nawab Malik

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede’s sister-in-law Harshada Dinanath Redkar on Tuesday filed a complaint against Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik over a tweet posted by him.

    An FIR was registered against Malik and another person Nishant Verma, at Goregaon police station under Sections 354, 354D, 503 and 506 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and also Section 4 of Indecent Representation of Women Act 1986.

    In a written complaint, Redkar said, “Since the last few days, I am shocked and surprised to see my name doing the rounds on the internet and other social media claiming that I have been arrested in connection with offences connected with the Immoral trafficking and/or for the alleged possession of drugs in the year 2018.”

    Redkar said that she was framed during her acting career due to a professional rivalry.

    Pointing out that the case is still pending, Redkar said that in spite of that, she was living a settled life until the accused- Nishant Varma, “who calls himself a political analyst, but apparently is a rumour monger and active on social media for whoever pays him anything” and Nawab Malik “who unfortunately is a minister in the state government and an MLA who has hardly been in the news for pertaining to his actual responsibilities”.

    “Apparently, both the aforementioned individuals and the unknown others are sponsored by the accused and their kins in the ‘M.V. Cordelia Cruise Case’ to criminally intimidate my brother-in-law into submitting to their demand of diluting the case against the accused in the Cordelia case,” she said in the statement urging the police to file an FIR.

    She further said that the accused are so ignorant and illiterate that they do not realise that simply because they want to intimidate my brother in law, they are ruining my settled life and in the act, committing the above-referred offences against me.

    “The tweets mentioned alleged activities that happened 14 years back. The accused just wants to intimidate my brother-in-law. They are ruining my settled life,” she added.

    The complaint further reads, “He (Malik) is also apparently trying to avenge the incrimination of his drug addict/drug dealer son by Sameer Wankhede or much worse, shielding the drug dealers from the further probe by him.”

    This came after a recent tweet by Nawab Malik, where the minister asked if Sameer Wankhede’s sister-in-law was involved in the drug business.

    In the tweet, Nawab Malik wrote, “Sameer Dawood Wankhede, is your sister-in-law Harshada Dinanath Redkar involved in the drug business? You must answer because her case is pending before the Pune court. Here is the proof.”

    The NCP leader also posted a snapshot of a document related to that case. (ANI)