Police to file closure report in Atrocities Act case against Nawab Malik

Mumbai police have informed the Bombay High Court that they have investigated former NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhedes Atrocities Act case against senior NCP leader Nawab Malik and decided to file a closure report citing lack of evidence reported news agency PTIAdditional public prosecutor S S Kaushik on January 14 informed a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale that after probing into the 2022 Atrocities case the police have decided to file a C Summary Report reported PTIA Csummary report is filed in cases where after investigation the police come to the conclusion that there is no evidence and the Atrocities case is neither true nor falseOnce such a report is filed before the concerned trial court the complainant in the Atrocities case can challenge the same and after hearing all parties the court can either accept or reject the closure reportLast year Wankhede filed a petition in the High Court through his counsel Rajiv Chavan claiming police inaction on his plaint against former minister Malik under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act reported PTIWankhede an additional commissioner in the Directorate General of Taxpayer Services DGTS and a member of the Mahar Scheduled Caste had sought for the Atrocities case to be transferred to the CBI reported PTIThe bench in its order of January 14 a copy of which was made available on Tuesday disposed of the petition noting that in view of the polices statement nothing survives for consideration reported PTIThe court however said it was open for Wankhede to take appropriate steps before the appropriate forum in accordance with the lawNeedless to state we have not gone into the merits of the petitioners complaint nor the investigation carried out by the police and as such all contentions of all parties are kept open the court said reported PTIIn December 2024 the high court told the police to probe the Atrocities case and bring it to its logical conclusionThe police had then told the court that two more sections had been included in the case section 31 q and r of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities ActThese sections pertain to giving false or frivolous information to any public servant to cause injury or annoyance and to intentionally insult or intimidate a member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe reported PTIThe Indian Revenue Services IRS officer had in August 2022 lodged a complaint with the suburban Goregaon police against Malik under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act reported PTIThe complaint alleged that during interviews and on his social media Malik made defamatory remarks against Wankhede and his family members based on his casteThe NCP leader has not been arrested in the case and a chargesheet has not been filed to dateIn his petition filed in the high court Wankhede claimed the police had not carried out any probe in the case to date and sought for the same to be transferred to the CBIThe IRS officer also sought for the probe to be monitored by the courtWith inputs from PTI