Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede on Friday moved a petition before the Bombay high court seeking quashing of a first information report (FIR) filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore bribe from superstar Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating his son Aryan Khan in the Cordelia cruise drug bust case.
Former Narcotics Control Bureau zonal director Sameer Wankhede, accused of demanding a bribe from Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating his son Aryan Khan in the 2021 drugs-on-cruise case, has claimed in his petition that the superstar praised the officer's "integrity" and pleaded with him to be kind to Aryan.
US-based journalist Preeti Singh's daughter studied with Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan's son, Aryan.
The CBI last month filed a first information report (FIR) against Wankhede and four others for allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore bribe in return of not framing Aryan Khan in the drugs case.
'Even if you are not in possession (of drugs) but you are part of the conspiracy, you are punishable under the same section of the law. Aryan Khan was aware that Arbaaz was in possession. Charas was for smoking and it was for the consumption of both, though it was with Arbaaz physically,' ASG Anil Singh told the HC.
Analysis of statements of Arbaaz Merchant, a co-accused, showed that Merchant never claimed that the 6 gm charas recovered from his possession was meant for consumption by Aryan, the charge-sheet noted.
The court in its detailed order also raised questions on the veracity of the NCB's panchnama records.
'He can and will restrain his son from being part of the entertainment world.'
The SET's findings have now been taken on record by the Central Bureau of Investigation which recently raided the 2008-batch Indian Revenue Service officer after it filed an FIR against him for corruption and alleged violation of rules in the raids that took place at the Cordelia cruise berthed at the Mumbai coast on October 2, 2021.
Sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau visited the residence of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday for seeking certain material related to their investigation into a cruise drugs party case in which the actor's son is an accused, a senior NCB official said.
'I'm very happy that Aryan Khan has gotten bail but also very upset with a system that kept a young man behind bars for more than 25 days for something he never did.'
The anti-drugs agency had earlier arrested nine people, including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, after raiding the Goa-bound ship on Saturday.
The Bombay High Court on Friday said Aryan Khan, son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, shall be released on a personal bond of Rs one lakh with one or two sureties of the same amount.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) reached Mumbai on Saturday, a day after the agency transferred investigation in six cases, including the controversial cruise drugs case in which Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested, to it.
The four-five member team, led by NCB's Deputy Director General (northern region) Gyaneshwar Singh, is also likely to visit a few other places and will also record the statement of Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness in the case.
As many as 18 arrests have been made in the cruise ship raid case so far.
The HC had granted bail to Aryan Khan, 25 days after he was arrested during a drug raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.
NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede should be suspended following the court's findings, he said.
The Bombay high court on Monday said no coercive steps shall be taken against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede till April 10 on notices issued to him on the NCB's preliminary inquiry over irregularities in a drugs case related to actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death.
"There is no evidence of consumption, no recovery of drugs and absolutely no evidence to show his participation in this so-called conspiracy and abetment as alleged by the NCB," Rohatgi said while arguing for Aryan Khan's bail.
The stars Rediff.com Contributing Photographer Pradeep Bandekar sighted on Tuesday.
Besides Aryan Khan, the arrested accused are identified as Munmun Dhamecha, Arbaaz Merchant, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Gomit Chopra, Nupur Sarika, and Vikrant Chhokar.
Ananya Panday has been again called by the NCB on Monday, a senior NCB official said.
"The chats recovered from Aryan Khan's mobile phone reveal that in the year 2018-19, she helped supply drugs to Aryan thrice by providing him the numbers of drug dealers," NCB sources told ANI.
Ananya's father Chunky Panday accompanied her to the NCB office located at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai, where they reached around 4 pm.
Jail officials said he was happy to receive the information about getting bail and also expressed his gratitude to the prison staff.
Gauri collapsed on the floor when she heard her son was finally free.
With this, the anti-drugs agency has so far arrested 17 people in the case, including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, and some "high-profile organisers" belonging to a Delhi-based event management company.
Wankhede presented his version and official documents related to the raid, which took place in October last year at the international cruise terminal in Mumbai, before NCB deputy director general for the northern region Gyaneshwar Singh.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday rejected an application seeking pre-arrest bail filed by Samville D'Souza, whose name had cropped up in connection with allegations of pay-off in the case of drug seizure in which Aryan Khan, actor Shah Rukh Khan's son, was arrested.
Talking to reporters in Kolhapur, Raut said Malik is paying the price for exposing the farce behind the case and the real face of the BJP.
The clean chit to Aryan Khan and five others by the Narcotics Control Bureau on Friday has once again brought the central agency's former zonal director Sameer Wankhede under the spotlight.
A Mumbai resident has filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay high court, seeking directions to Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik to refrain from making any comments against the NCB.
Wankhede, who has been booked along with four others in the case, is likely appear before the CBI team in Mumbai, they said.
The NCB has so far arrested 16 people, including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, 23, in the drug seizure case.
Kiran Gosavi, an 'independent witness' of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the drugs-on-cruise case who is absconding, on Monday refuted the extortion claims made by his aide and another witness in the case, Prabhakar Sail, and said he will surrender shortly before the Lucknow police.
The order says that Wankhede belongs to Mahar caste, which is a Scheduled Caste (SC).
Dominic Xavier is mystified by the many twists and turns Aryan Khan's case has taken in recent days
The Bombay high court had on Thursday granted bail to Merchant and Dhamecha along with their co-accused Aryan Khan, the son of actor Shah Rukh Khan.
"We won't give special treatment for anyone. The law is the same for all. The deadline for receiving the bail papers was 5.30 pm. That has passed. He won't be released today," a senior jail official said.
