The Bombay High Court said today that Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik must file an affidavit stating that his claims that Narcotics Control Bureau officer Sameer Wankhede is a Muslim by birth and the birth certificate he tweeted are true, while hearing the defamation suit filed by Mr Wankhede’s father.
The judge questioned if he checked anything he tweeted as a spokesman for a major political party and a responsible citizen “I’d like an affidavit from you stating that the material is accurate. It can be as simple as a one-page affidavit “.. On November 12, the case will be heard again.
The court stated that Sameer Wankhede is a public official, and that any member of the public has the right to question him. The single judge bench of Justice Madhav Jamdar stated that it is up to Dnyandev Wankhede to show that what the minister is stating is untrue.
“You must show beyond a reasonable doubt that what he is saying is false. The son is not a distinct person. He is a public officer who can be questioned by any member of the public… Show me every tweet and how it is untrue in your opinion “Added the judge.
Wankhede Senior’s lawyer, Arshad Shaikh, referenced a photo of Mr Wankhede’s sister that was tweeted by Nawab Malik, in which he referred to her as “woman don.”
Nawab Malik stated the birth certificate the minister posted is phoney after reading another tweet from him that says “Sameer Dawood Wankhede ka yahaan se shuru hua farziwada (the falsification by Sameer Dawood Wankhede begins here).”
“You’re smearing someone’s reputation based on discussions you had with someone you allege is a drug dealer. You’re making inferences based on conversations. Is this the proper thing to do ethically, morally, and legally?” Mr. Wankhede disagreed.
Mr Malik stated that Sameer Wankhede is a Muslim by birth and that his real name is “Sameer Dawood Wankhede” after releasing what he claimed was the officer’s birth certificate. He further claimed that the officer falsified his birth document in order to gain a Scheduled Castes job reservation.
Wankhede Senior branded it “low-level politics” and launched a defamation suit against the minister for Rs. 1.25 crore earlier this month. His son claims that the minister has a personal vendetta against the agency because of his son-in-detention law’s in a narcotics case.
Mr Malik told NDTV that the Narcotics Control Bureau is “hiding” behind his son-in-case, law’s implying that his criticism of the agency is motivated by personal animosity.
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