Nawab Malik acquitted after BJP leader Mohit Kamboj withdraws defamation case
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Former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik has been acquitted in a defamation case after the complainant, BJP leader Mohit Kamboj, formally withdrew his complaint.
The decision was announced by Chief Judicial Magistrate A A Kulkarni of the Mazgaon court on Monday, effectively closing the legal proceedings.
Kamboj had initiated the defamation case over comments made by Malik during a press conference on October 9, 2021. Malik had criticised the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) cruise drug raid and allegedly made defamatory remarks about Kamboj and his brother-in-law, Rishab Sachdev. The press conference followed the controversial arrest of 20 individuals, including Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan.
In his plea to withdraw the case under Section 257 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), Kamboj cited his inability to attend court proceedings on a daily basis. “Since this court is desirous of keeping the said case on a day-to-day basis, I am desirous to withdraw the case filed against the accused as I will be unable to attend the court on a daily basis,” he stated in his application.
He also clarified that his decision was made voluntarily and without any external pressure: “I have voluntarily decided to withdraw the case, and no undue pressure or coercion has been exerted upon me in this regard.”
Accepting the withdrawal, the court ruled, “The accused stands acquitted of the offence under IPC section 500 (defamation) and the proceeding is hereby closed.”
Kamboj had earlier alleged that Malik, then a state cabinet minister, had “purposefully and intentionally defamed” him and his family using unverified statements. He accused Malik of abusing his political position by making baseless allegations during a highly publicised press interaction related to the NCB's high-profile drug bust.
Malik, throughout the controversy, maintained that the cruise drug case was “fake” and made several serious allegations against Sameer Wankhede, the NCB's then Mumbai zonal director. Wankhede has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Aryan Khan and several others arrested during the raid were later granted bail, and no drugs were reportedly recovered from Khan, sparking criticism and political debate over the case's handling.
