The Bombay High Court has observed that the highest degree of verification is required from a state minister and prima facie there are interpolations in NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede’s birth certificate which was placed on record by Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik in his affidavit today.
Hearing the defamation suit filed by Sameer Wankhede’s father Dhyandev, the bench remarked, “But the level of verification from a person who is an MLA should be of the highest grade…. According to your own affidavit you are a member of the assembly and the spokesperson of a political party. You should be more careful.”
Malik submitted Sameer Wankhede’s school admission form and primary school leaving certificate states his religion to be a “Muslim.” “Despite being born a Muslim, Sameer Wankhede secured a Central government job claiming to be from the Scheduled Castes,” Malik alleged further.
Arshad Shaikh, appearing on behalf of the Wankhedes, placed 28 documents on record, including caste certificates, passport, Sameer Wankhede’s school leaving certificate etc to show that his name was “Dhyandev” and he was a Mahar.
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Shaikh said Dhyandev does not have the original copies or even the photocopies of the document i.e. the said birth certificate.
Dhyandev Wankhede, the father of Sameer Wankhede, had filed the defamation suit and sought Rs 1.25 crore in damages for defaming him and his family, and sought directions to restrain Nawab Malik or anyone acting on his behalf from posting anything “defamatory” against the Wankhedes. The matter is mentioned before Justice Madhav Jamdar, and is likely to be listed for an in-chamber hearing tomorrow at 2.15pm.