Mumbai: Former Mumbai NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede has taken his challenge against the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering case to the Bombay High Court, alleging it to be a retaliatory move in response to his complaint against a senior official within the anti-drug agency.
The ED initiated the money laundering investigation against Wankhede following a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR regarding an alleged ₹25 crore bribe demand from Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s family to absolve his son, Aryan Khan, in a drug-related case.
Wankhede, an IRS officer of the 2008 batch, has filed a plea asserting that the ED’s actions appear to be motivated by malice and vendetta. His petition, submitted on February 6 through his legal representatives, Karan Jain, Sneha Sanap, and Aditya Targe, seeks to quash the ED case and obtain interim protection from coercive measures.
Furthermore, Wankhede has requested a stay on the ED’s investigation until his petition regarding the CBI case is heard and decided. Both petitions are scheduled for a hearing on February 15 before a division bench headed by Justice PD Naik.
In the CBI case, Wankhede has already been granted interim protection from coercive actions by the High Court last year.
Regarding the ED case, Wankhede claims that while the enforcement case information report (ECIR) was lodged last year, summonses have only recently been issued to certain NCB officers following Wankhede’s complaint against NCB’s Deputy Director General Gyaneshwar Singh.
Wankhede alleges that his complaints against Singh, lodged last month before a Delhi court seeking action under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, prompted the issuance of summons to NCB officers.
A court in Delhi has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, South West Delhi, to provide an action taken report on Wankhede’s complaints.
In his petition against the ED case, Wankhede contends that Singh and other influential figures have utilized agencies like the CBI, ED, and NCB to target him, citing his complaint against Singh as the motive behind the ED’s actions.
Additionally, Wankhede alleges receiving a threatening call demanding withdrawal of his complaints against Singh and resignation from his IRS position.
Wankhede was implicated by the CBI last year for allegedly seeking a ₹25 crore bribe in exchange for not implicating Shah Rukh Khan’s son in a drug case. Aryan Khan was arrested in the drug bust case on the Cordelia cruise ship in October 2021. However, the NCB later exonerated Aryan Khan in its chargesheet, though allegations of bribery persisted.
The case gained attention when an independent witness claimed that ₹25 crore was demanded to secure Aryan Khan’s release. Subsequently, the NCB conducted an internal probe and shared findings with the CBI, resulting in the case against Wankhede.
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