Sameer Wankhede sues social media platforms, seeks restraint on allowing defamatory material against him, wife

Sameer Wankhede, Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and his wife Kranti Redkar sues social media companies

Mumbai: Sameer Wankhede, Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and his wife Kranti Redkar have moved court asking social media companies Facebook and Twitter to disallow “scurrilous and defamatory messages” against them from being posted on their respective social media platforms.

Sameer Wankhede and wife Kranti Redkar sues social media platforms. (ANI)

The plea stated that certain channels operating unrestrictedly on social media platforms were spreading “sponsored misinformation” about Wankhede and Redkar at the “behest of the individuals against whom he had to act as part of his official duty” and sought relief under provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

It is scheduled to come up for hearing on December 17.

This follows a the ₹1.25-crore civil defamation suit filed by Wankhede’s father, Dnyandev Wankhede on November 7, against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik for posting what he called “derogatory comments on social media against my son and family”. Dnyandev also sought a permanent injunction restraining Malik and others “acting under his instructions” from publishing, writing or speaking in the media about the family, after the Maharashtra minister posted photos of Wankhede’s birth certificate and claimed that he had lied about his religion to avail caste-based reservation.

Wankhede and Redkar filed a plea for interim relief on October 28 in which they claimed that Wankhede is an “honest and upright officer” who has been instrumental in curbing illegal activities like smuggling and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in Mumbai. Their plea stated that some unscrupulous elements, against whom Wankhede has taken action, have taken to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, to launch a “tirade against him”.

“When special investigation teams have been set up (to investigate some drug cases registered by NCB, including the one involving Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and another involving son-in-law of Nawab Malik) such continued illegal tirade against me and Plaintiff No. 2 (Redkar) is purely intended to discredit me and my official work.”

“It is only just and fair that the Defendants (social media platforms) be directed to prevent the misuse of their platforms to threaten and defame me for being a Government servant, who has no other remedy,” the plea stated.

Wankhede has sought an order under section 79 of the IT Act asking that the companies stop airing, displaying, publishing malicious, defamatory, scurrilous messages against him and his wife.

When contacted, media representatives for Facebook and Twitter said they were unaware of the legal issues involved and therefore expressed inability to comment on the proceeding.