Bombay High Court issues show-cause notice to NCP leader Nawab Malik

Bombay High Court on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik in a contempt petition filed by the father of former Narcotics Control Bureau zonal director Sameer Wankhede.

Dnyandeo Wankhede has alleged that despite giving an undertaking in High Court in December, Malik has given defamatory statements against his family.

In November last year, the court had directed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader to not make any public statements or use social media against the Wankhede family.

Earlier while hearing the defamation suit filed by Wankhede's father, Dnyandev, who has sought damages to the tune of Rs 1.25 crore from Malik for allegedly making defamatory comments, the court had said that it is "necessary to balance fundamental rights of Nawab Malik and Dnyandev Wankhede."

The court earlier reprimanded Nawab Malik for not approaching the caste scrutiny committee but making allegations about Wankhede's caste certificate in media.

Sharing the death certificate of Sameer Wankhede's mother, Malik had alleged that the NCB official had forged the document. Malik alleged that there are two death certificates of Zahida Dawood Wankhede, with each mentioning different religions.

Sharing both the death certificates, Malik in a tweet said, "Another forgery, Muslim for funeral and Hindu for the official document? Blessed is Dawood Gyandev."

The Maharashtra Minister has been continuously attacking Sameer Wankhede since the arrest of Aryan Khan in the cruise drugs case.