The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a contempt petition filed by Dhyandev Wankhede, father of IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, against NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA and former Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik.

The plea alleged that Malik violated previous High Court directions by making defamatory remarks about Sameer Wankhede in a recent interview.

Dhyandev Wankhede had pointed to High Court orders from November 29, and December 7 and 10, 2021, which restrained Malik from making any statements against Wankhede or his family.

In December 2021, Malik also tendered an unconditional apology and assured the court that he would refrain from commenting on the Wankhede family, even if questioned by the media.

Despite this, the contempt plea claimed that Malik breached the undertaking through continued remarks targeting Sameer Wankhede. On Friday, advocate Sana Raees Khan, representing Wankhede, presented these alleged breaches before the bench.

However, Malik’s counsel countered the claims by highlighting that the earlier civil suit, in connection with the issue, had been disposed of due to non-removal of office objections – procedural issues flagged by the court registry.

The bench of Justices MS Sonak and Jitendra Jain accepted this submission, supported by court documents, and dismissed the contempt plea.

Khan, meanwhile, stated that she intends to move for restoration of the disposed suit and may file a fresh contempt petition if necessary.

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