Mumbai court grants bail to Nawab Malik in second defamation complaint by BJP's Mohit Bharatiya

A Mumbai court on Wednesday granted bail to to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik in the a criminal defamation complaint filed by BJP leader Mohit Bharatiya..Bharatiya alleged in his complaint that Malik had grossly misused his dominant position to defame Bharatiya and his family with highly speculative arguments which were made without any evidence to substantiate his alleged malicious claims.Metropolitan Magistrate at Mazgaon, Mumbai PI Mokashi had issued notice to Malik on December 14, 2021 after making prima facie observations that defamatory statements had been made against Bharatiya and it will be available for viewing by the public at large..After Malik appeared in the Court today, he moved an application for bail. Judge Mokashi allowed the application subject to furnishing surety to the amount of ₹15,000. He also directed Malik not indulge in similar offences in the future, taking note of the fact that this was the second defamation complaint by the same complainant against the NCP minister.The complainant was granted liberty to approach the court for cancellation of bail, in the event a similar kind of offence is committed..Bharatiya raised grievances against a press conference held by Malik on November 7, 2021 wherein he allegedly made defamatory and derogatory statement against the former and his family.This was the second complaint in which Malik was granted bail. Bharatiya's first criminal complaint alleged that Malik uttered defamatory statements against him and his brother-in-law while claiming that the "Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is acting under influence of BJP."The Court had issued notice to Malik in that case and Malik had subsequently been granted bail in that matter..[Read Roznama]