Malik kin sends Rs 5-cr defamation notice to Fadnavis

Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik said on Thursday that his son-in-law Sameer Khan has sent a legal notice claiming defamation to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, seeking a compensation of Rs 5 crore.

Malik's daughter Nilofer Malik-Khan released a copy of the legal notice, sent through their lawyer Rahmat I. Ansari, via social media earlier in the day.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested Sameer Khan on January 13 in connection with an alleged drug case. He was released on bail on September 27.

Fadnavis said this month that "now Malik's son-in-law was found with drugs in his possession", adding that if narcotics are found in the house of a person, "then what will their party be".

Challenging Fadnavis' charges, the legal notice says that the chargesheet filed by the NCB does not support even a single allegation levelled by the BJP leader.

"The panchnama dated 14-01-2021 clearly says that the house was searched and no contraband suspicious substance was found or under his possession. But from which source you obtained such false, frivolous and baseless report is better known to you," said the legal notice.

Both Malik and his daughter said that they will wait for Fadnavis' response to the notice and thereafter take the appropriate further legal steps.

"Fadnavis must tender an unconditional apology and withdraw all his false remarks in this matter, failing which we shall proceed with defamation proceedings as advised by our legal team," Malik said.

Earlier, the Nationalist Congress Party Minister had said that NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede had nabbed Sameer Khan in a false case to pre-empt Malik's plans to expose the drug enforcement officer's (Wankhede) fake caste documents which came in his possession over 11 months ago.