Bombay High Court dismisses contempt plea against Nawab Malik by Sameer Wankhede’s father

The Bombay High Court on Friday (July 11, 2025) dismissed a contempt petition filed by Dnyandev Wankhede, father of former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede, against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik. The petition alleged that Mr. Malik had breached an undertaking given to the court in December 2021, in which he had assured he would refrain from making defamatory or objectionable statements against the Wankhede family.

Mr. Wankhede claimed that despite this assurance, Mr. Malik made adverse public remarks on December 28, 2021, and in media interviews on January 2 and 3, 2022. One of the statements cited in the plea was a tweet where Mr. Malik referred to Sameer Wankhede as “Sameer Dawood Wankhede,” which the petitioner said was communal and defamatory in nature. He alleged that Mr. Malik’s remarks were part of a sustained campaign of malice triggered after the controversial arrest of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.

High Court had earlier issued a show cause notice to Mr. Malik in February 2022. However, Mr. Malik’s counsel argued that the statements were made without any intent to violate the court’s order and did not amount to contempt.

A Division Bench of Justices G.S. Kulkarni and Arif S. Doctor on Friday ruled that Mr. Malik’s statements did not constitute a breach of the 2021 undertaking. The Bench observed that since the remarks were made during the pendency of other civil proceedings, it would not be appropriate to exercise contempt jurisdiction. The petitioner was allowed to explore other legal remedies.