Maharashtra court directs police to conduct probe into Nawab Malik's remarks against Sameer Wankhede
Mumbai (PTI): A sessions court in Maharashtra has directed the Washim police to conduct an investigation into the alleged remarks made by Nationalist Congress Party leader Nawab Malik against Sameer Wankhede, the former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau.
The sessions court in Washim district passed the order on Tuesday on a complaint filed by Sanjay Wankhede, the cousin of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede.
Sanjay Wankhede had in his complaint sought an investigation against former Maharashtra minister Malik for making defamatory and false remarks on the caste certificate and caste of Sameer Wankhede and their entire family.
He had sought a probe against Malik under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Additional sessions judge H M Deshpande directed the Washim police to investigate the matter and submit a report.
The court said the police have not taken any action despite a complaint sent to them in November 2021.
"Considering the allegations made in the complaint, an investigation as prayed by the complainant is necessary in the present matter," the order said.
Sanjay Wankhede claimed he had first written to the Washim police seeking for a case to be registered against Malik. When the police did not take any action, he filed a private complaint with the sessions court seeking a probe against Malik.
"Considering the allegations made in the complaint and documents filed on record, more particularly the caste certificate, it certainly discloses a cognisable offence which is necessary to be investigated by the police," the court said in its order.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Malik in February this year in a money laundering case. He is in judicial custody and currently undergoing treatment at a hospital here.
The NCP leader last year alleged that Sameer Wankhede had submitted forged documents to obtain his caste certificate.
The IRS officer then refuted the allegations and said Malik was targeting him as the NCB had arrested the NCP leader's son-in-law in a drugs case.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
