Bribery Case: Bombay HC Extends Sameer Wankhede’s Interim Protection From Coercive Action Till Jan 10

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday extended the interim protection to IRS officer Sameer Wankhede till January 10, who is named as an accused by the CBI in an extortion and bribery case related to the Cordelia cruise drugs case.

A division bench of Justices PD Naik and NR Borkar stated that it would hear Wankhede’s petition seeking to quash the FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation on January 10 and 11, 2024.

Advocate Kuldeep Patil, appearing for the CBI, told the court on Tuesday that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta would argue on behalf of the CBI on January 10 or 11.

Wankhede’s counsel Aabad Ponda stated that he would argue on January 10.

The CBI in May lodged the FIR against Wankhede (former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)), and others on the basis of a written complaint issued to them by the NCB.

The central agency’s case is that Wankhede and 4 other accused allegedly demanded Rs.25 crore bribe from actor Shah Rukh Khan for not framing his son Aryan Khan following the alleged seizure of drugs from a cruise ship in 2021.

Later, Wankhede moved the HC, seeking that the case be quashed. He also sought interim protection from any coercive action.

Wankhede and the other accused in the case have been booked under charges of criminal conspiracy and extortion threats under the IPC and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act pertaining to bribery.

Aryan Khan and some other persons were arrested in October 2021 for alleged possession, consumption and trafficking of drugs. Later, Aryan Khan was granted bail by the high court after spending 3 weeks in jail.

The NCB subsequently filed its chargesheet, but didn’t name Aryan Khan as an accused in the case citing lack of evidence.

The anti-drugs agency then also set up a special inquiry team to carry out a probe into the case and against its own officers.