Nawab Malik, Devendra Fadnavis kin send legal notices to each other for defamation

Nawab Malik’s daughter, Nilofer Malik Khan, sent a legal notice for defamation to Devendra Fadnavis while, Fadnavis’ wife Amruta Fadnavis sent one to Malik.

Matters came to a head on Thursday between Maharashtra minister of minority affairs Nawab Malik of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and former chief minister and leader of opposition in the state assembly Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when their respective family members sent legal notices to each other for defamation. Malik’s daughter, Nilofer Malik Khan, sent a legal notice to Fadnavis while, Fadnavis’ wife Amruta Fadnavis sent one to Malik.

Matters came to a head on Thursday between Maharashtra minister of minority affairs Nawab Malik of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and former chief minister and leader of opposition in the state assembly Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when their respective family members sent legal notices to each other for defamation. (HT PHOTO)

Khan sent a legal notice seeking an apology for Fadnavis’s claims about her husband Sameer Khan. Fadnavis alleged earlier this week that Sameer was in possession of 200 kg of ganja when the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided his home in January this year. Nilofer asked for an apology, failing which, she contended, she will demand ₹5 crore as damages for “mental torture, agony, financial loss and injury.”

In response, Amruta Fadnavis demanded deletion of the defamatory tweets against her husband within 48 hours with an unconditional apology or face the criminal and civil suits. Amruta slapped the notice in response to Malik’s allegations about Fadnavis’ alleged connections with drug peddlers and an accused arrested in a drugs case.

The legal notice sent to Fadnavis reads, “The charge sheet filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau does not support even a single allegation levied by you. The panchnama dated 14/01/2021 clearly says that the house was searched and no contraband/suspicious substance was found in my client’s house or under his possession. But from which source you obtained such false, frivolous and baseless report is better known to you.”

It adds: “That my client is demanding damages amounting to ₹5 crore on account of mental torture, agony, financial loss and injury inflicted to his reputation and honour due to the statements which you made in the news telecast, viz. ABP News.”

In a tweet, Nilofer said, “False accusations ruin lives. Before one accuses or condemns, they must know what they are talking about. This defamation notice is for the false claims and statements which Devendra Fadnavis levelled against my family. We will not back down.”

Malik said in response to the Fadnavis notice, “She has a right to file a case and I have the right to fight it out legally.”