Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede and his wife have approached a Mumbai court seeking direction to restrain social media giants from publishing or displaying any 'malicious and defamatory' content against the couple on their platforms.

In a suit filed before a civil court in suburban Borivali last month, Wankhede and his wife, actor Kranti Redkar, have sought a permanent injunction against Google India, Facebook India online services and Twitter Communications India on allowing any 'defamatory' post against them on their platforms.

The suit claimed that 'sponsored misinformation' is being spread on social media platforms by various 'unscrupulous elements' at the behest of individuals against whom the NCB officer has acted.

It is clear that the 'misinformation campaign' is a consequence of vested interests that are affected by investigations carried out by the NCB official, the plea, filed through legal firm Rex Legalis, said.

The suit further stated that the 'unscrupulous elements' realising that Wankhede was largely unaffected by such "character assassination", started attacking his wife personally.

'The plaintiffs state that the circle of such accusations have been only widening to cover even the distant relatives of the plaintiffs,' it added.

The court in the last hearing had allowed an application of Wankhede for impleading the American entities of the defendants in the present suit.

The matter will be further heard on December 17.

Wankhede is already locked in a legal battle with Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik over his allegations against the IRS officer and his family members on a number of issues.