Mumbai Court Orders Police to Explain Delay in Wankhede Case

NEW DELHI: A Mumbai court on Friday issued a show-cause notice to the Mumbai Police for failing to submit an inquiry report in a defamation and stalking case filed by Yasmeen Wankhede, sister of former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede, against NCP leader Nawab Malik.

The notice was issued to the Amboli police station by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Bandra) Ashish Awari, who had earlier directed the police to carry out a probe under Section 202 of the CrPC—a provision allowing courts to defer action against the accused until a preliminary inquiry is completed.

Despite the court’s order in January 2024, the police have yet to submit their report. The complaint, filed through advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh, accuses Nawab Malik, a former Maharashtra minister, of making defamatory statements, posting false and scandalous content online, and stalking Yasmeen Wankhede on social media platforms through tweets and media interviews.

Originally filed in an Andheri court in 2021, the matter was later transferred to the MP/MLA court in Bandra for further proceedings. Yasmeen Wankhede, a central government officer, claimed that Malik launched a smear campaign against her family out of personal vendetta after her brother, then NCB Zonal Director, booked Malik’s late son-in-law, Sameer Khan, in a narcotics case.

The complaint alleges that the accusations were made with malicious intent, aiming to tarnish the family’s image and exert pressure. “Out of the personal grudge and vengeance held against the complainant’s brother… the accused started making false, defamatory and baseless allegations,” the complaint stated.

With the police failing to act on the court’s earlier directive, the magistrate has now demanded an explanation for the delay. The matter is expected to be taken up again once the police respond to the show-cause notice.