Delhi HC grants protection from arrest to Sameer Wankhede in NCB case
May 17, 2023
New Delhi [India], May 17 : Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted protection from arrest (No coercive action) till May 22 to Sameer Wankhede with liberty to approach the Bombay High Court for further relief.
Wankhede has moved Delhi High Court and sought cross FIR claiming that the allegations by NCB against him are "false and misleading".
The plea before the Delhi HC sought cross FIR against deputy DG NCB Gyaneshwar Singh.
Counsel for the state of Delhi argued that this relief should be raised before the High Court of Bombay.
The bench of Justice Vikas Mahajan has granted protection from arrest for five days and granted liberty to move the Bombay HC for relief.
Meanwhile, Wankhede has been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday.
Earlier on Tuesday, CBI which had booked Wankhede for allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore as a bribe for not framing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case, said that the deal was closed for Rs 18 crore adding that assets to Wankhade were not proportionate to his known sources of income.
According to the CBI FIR copy, the NCB team headed by Sameer Wankhede allowed people who were actually in possession of drugs and the supplier as well to go.
The FIR copy said Arbaaz Merchant had confessed of possession Charas to NCB but he was allowed to go.
Siddarth Shah who had allegedly supplied charas to Arbaaz Merchant was also allowed to walk free, the CBI FIR said adding that incriminating chats between the two were ignored.
The federal agency said the accused were brought in a private vehicle. The private vehicle belonged to KP Gosavi (independent witness). This was done to show the accused that Gosavi was an NCB employee, though he was not.
CBI claimed that Gosavi was allowed close proximity to the accused against the rules. An effort was made to extort Rs 25 crore, but the deal was closed for Rs 18 crore. Out of this Rs 50 lakh was paid in advance.
Other corruption charges against Sameer Wamkhede and other NCB Officials were also in the process.
The investigating agency said the assets to Wankhede were not proportionate to his known sources of income. The FIR copy said he was not able to justify expenses made during his foreign visit.
Wankhede has been selling and purchasing expensive wristwatches with a private entity, said CBI.CBI registered a case against former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer, Sameer Wankhede and three others for allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore as a bribe for not framing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case.
Wankhede on Saturday alleged that he was being punished for being a patriot. Wankhede's statement came in response to the CBI raids at his residence and other premises on Friday.
CBI recently conducted searches at 29 locations across the country following the alleged corruption case against him and three others linked to the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case.
Wankhede had raided Cordelia Cruise and arrested Actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in an alleged drug case.
