Malik, who was arrested in February 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged money laundering case, was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court for two months in August.
A magistrate court Tuesday cancelled a non-bailable warrant issued against NCP leader Nawab Malik in connection with a defamation complaint filed by BJP member Mohit Kamboj.
A warrant was issued against Malik during the previous hearing last month on his failure to appear before the court. On Tuesday, Malik was present before the court and a plea was filed on his behalf to cancel the warrant. The court allowed the plea and cancelled the warrant issued against him. The case will now be heard on October 25.
In 2021, a complaint was filed by Kamboj alleging that Malik had defamed him in a press conference and a TV interview, where allegations were made against Kamboj and his brother-in-law Rishab Sachdev, in connection with the alleged drug raid on Cordelia cruise conducted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Based on the complaint, summons were issued to Malik in 2021.
Referring to a press conference on October 9, 2021, and an interview given by Malik on October 11, 2021, Kamboj has said in his complaint that Malik had “purposefully and intentionally” defamed the complainant and his brother-in-law Sachdev “to forward the agenda that the NCB is acting under the influence of the BJP”..
Malik, who was arrested in February 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged money laundering case, was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court for two months in August.
Earlier this month, a court allowed the withdrawal of an appeal filed by Kamboj seeking the registration of an offence against Malik related to alleged violations during the Covid-19 pandemic. The reason behind Kamboj’s withdrawal was the statement made by the state government before the Bombay High Court in October 2022, wherein it submitted that a committee was formed to decide on abating the cases filed against people during the Covid-19 lockdown for violations of prohibitory orders and the case against Malik, if registered, would fall in the same category.
Kamboj Tuesday in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) said that he has not compromised in the defamation case against Malik and that the former minister had appeared before the court to get the warrant against him cancelled.
