Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede informed the Bombay High Court on Friday that he believes the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is leaking information about the corruption case registered against him and others to the media. His counsel, Senior Advocate Abad Ponda, brought to the Court's attention news reports that allegedly listed out the witnesses the CBI intended to summon in Wankhede's case. Ponda argued that the reports clearly indicated the source of the information was someone within the investigating agency. He requested the Court to issue orders preventing the CBI from sharing details with the press about the ongoing case, noting that Wankhede had previously given an undertaking not to speak to the media due to the sensitive nature of the case.
In response, a Division Bench of Justices AS Gadkari and SG Dige told the CBI counsel, represented by Kuldeep Patil, that the rule applicable to Wankhede should also apply to them. Patil assured the Court that neither he nor the investigating team had leaked any information to the media. He suggested that the information may have come from the individuals who were summoned for questioning. Nevertheless, the Court remained unconvinced, pointing out that the news report had cited the CBI as the source of the leaked information.
To address the issue and dispel doubts, Patil informed the Court that the CBI would conduct an inquiry to identify the source of the leak. He emphasized that the CBI had not spoken to the media and had no intention of doing so. Patil also mentioned that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta would be representing the CBI in the case.
The criminal case against Sameer Wankhede alleges that he demanded a bribe of ₹25 crore from Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan to refrain from implicating his son, Aryan Khan, in the 2021 Cordelia cruise ship drugs case. Seeking to quash the FIR lodged against him, Wankhede had approached the High Court, which granted him interim protection on the condition that he refrains from publishing any material related to the case via WhatsApp or any other means during the investigation.
The Court set a hearing date of August 21, allowing time for Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to appear on behalf of the CBI in the matter.
TAGS: Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede Bombay High Court Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) corruption case registered counsel Senior Advocate Abad Ponda news reports witnesses summon case source investigating agency Court orders press sensitive case Division Bench Justices AS Gadkari SG Dige CBI counsel Kuldeep Patil media statement enquiry leak Solicitor General Tushar Mehta hearing criminal case bribe ₹25 crore Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan Aryan Khan Cordelia cruise ship drugs case High Court first information report (FIR) interim protection WhatsApp investigation.
