Mumbai, Dec 12 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed police to complete the probe into the Atrocities Act case registered against NCP leader Nawab Malik on IRS officer Sameer Wankhede’s complaint, and take it to its “logical conclusion”.
The Mumbai police assured the division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and S G Dige that the investigation into the 2022 case would be completed within four weeks.
The police also informed the bench that two more sections have been included in the case – section 3(1) q and r of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
These sections pertain to giving false or frivolous information to any public servant to cause injury or annoyance and to intentionally insult or intimidate a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
The bench accepted the police’s assurance and posted the matter for further hearing on January 16, 2025.
“The FIR is of 2022. We are not putting any pressure. But it needs to be taken to its logical conclusion,” the court said.
Wankhede, an additional commissioner in the Directorate General of Taxpayer Services (DGTS) and a member of the Mahar Scheduled Caste, last month moved the HC, through his lawyer Sana Raees Khan, seeking the case to be transferred to the CBI, alleging inaction by the police.
The plea claimed the police’s inaction in the matter has caused Wankhede and his family significant mental distress and humiliation.
The Indian Revenue Services (IRS) officer in August 2022 lodged a complaint with the Goregaon police in Mumbai against former state minister Malik under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The complaint alleged that Malik had during interviews and in his social media posts made defamatory remarks against Wankhede and his family members based on his caste.
Malik has neither been arrested in the case nor has a chargesheet been filed till date.
In his petition filed in the HC on November 20, Wankhede claimed the police have not carried out any probe into the case till date, and hence sought for the same to be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The former zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) also sought for the probe to be monitored by the court. PTI SP GK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.