"Bombay High Court Extends Interim Protection for Sameer Wankhede in Aryan Khan Bribery Case, Imposes Media Restrictions"
The Bombay High Court has extended the interim protection granted to former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede until June 8 in the bribery case filed against him. Wankhede was accused of demanding favors from Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan during the arrest of Khan's son, Aryan Khan, in a drug case in 2021.
During the hearing, the vacation bench of Justices Abhay Ahuja and MM Sathaye imposed several conditions on Wankhede. These included a prohibition on publishing any material related to the case, giving press statements, and tampering with evidence. Wankhede was also ordered to provide an undertaking on affidavit by the end of the day.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raised objections to Wankhede revealing text messages between himself and Shah Rukh Khan in his petition, which were subsequently shared with the media. CBI counsel advocate Kuldeep Patil argued that Wankhede was treating a request from Shah Rukh Khan as a character certificate, despite Aryan Khan being cleared of charges.
Expressing displeasure at Wankhede's actions, the Court questioned why he had circulated the chats while the matter was sub judice and why he had approached the media despite being subject to the court's jurisdiction. Senior Advocate Abad Ponda, representing Wankhede, assured the Court that the chats had not been circulated beyond what was included in the petition.
After considering arguments from both sides, the Court decided to extend the protection granted on May 19 until June 8. The drug case involving Aryan Khan began with an NCB operation on a Mumbai-Goa cruise in October 2021, resulting in multiple arrests including Aryan Khan. He was later granted bail and cleared of charges. The CBI subsequently filed an FIR against Wankhede, alleging bribery, corruption, and other offenses.
Wankhede had initially approached the Delhi High Court for protection, but withdrew the plea due to objections regarding territorial jurisdiction. He then filed the present petition before the Bombay High Court, seeking the quashing of the FIR and interim relief.
TAGS: SUPREME COURT OF INDIASUPREME COURT 2023 JUSTICE V RAMASUBRAMANIAN JUSTICE PANKAJ MITHALRASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH
