Sameer Wankhede seeks court order against defamatory social media posts

Sameer Wankhede

Mumbai Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede and his wife Kranti Redkar have moved the Dindoshi sessions court seeking a restraining order against social media platforms so that they can't air, publish or post defamatory matter against them.

According to sources, Wankhede and his wife had filed a civil suit before the court on November 16. Some social media platforms, through their respective advocates, appeared in the matter and after hearing both the parties, the court was not inclined to grant any urgent relief as sought by Wankhede.

According to the application filed by Wankhede in court, he said that he was an honest officer who curbed several illegal activities in terms of smuggling and those related to drugs in his current capacity. He said that he took action against offenders without considering their backgrounds, based on which he secured higher positions in his job.

He further stated that because of his posting in Mumbai, many of the offenders are connected to the film industry and politics. Owing to this, the forces working against him are well connected to local authorities and media outlets he has named. He added that the mainstream media picks up the gossip and statements posted on social media sites and blows them out of proportion. When those people realised that he is unaffected by the character assassinations, they started defaming his wife and relatives, he said.

Wankhede had pleaded before the court to pass an order under section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 to restrain social media sites from posting unsubstantiated and baseless posts, narration, voiceover allegations against them and to block the users who are posting the defamatory statements.

Confirming the same, Wankhede's advocate Rohan Janardhan told mid-day, "Wankhede is an honest officer. Personal attacks are being done against him and his family through social media. The purpose of filing the suit is that those who make such unwanted comments should be stopped. We request the court to direct the concerned platforms to stop posting such matter." The next hearing on the matter will be held on December 17.