A Magistrate Court in Mumbai on Monday acquitted former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik in a defamation case after BJP leader Mohit Kamboj voluntarily withdrew his complaint citing his inability to attend court proceedings daily.

Chief Judicial Magistrate A.A. Kulkarni (Mazgaon Court) allowed Kamboj’s plea under Section 257 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which permits withdrawal of a complaint before final judgment if the magistrate is satisfied with the reasons.

“The accused stands acquitted of the offence under IPC Section 500 (defamation) and the proceeding is hereby closed,” the court stated.

Kamboj, in his withdrawal application, said:

“Since this court is desirous of keeping the said case on a day-to-day basis, I am desirous to withdraw the case filed against the accused as I will be unable to attend court on a daily basis… I have voluntarily decided to withdraw the case, and no undue pressure or coercion has been exerted upon me.”

Kamboj had filed the defamation complaint over statements made by Malik during an October 2021 press conference concerning a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raid on a cruise ship. He alleged Malik had made baseless and malicious statements targeting him and his brother-in-law Rishab Sachdev.

The NCB raid, which led to the arrest of several individuals including Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, had drawn widespread media attention. Aryan Khan was later granted bail.

Malik was accused under IPC Sections 499 and 500 (defamation), but the proceedings have now been formally terminated.