Former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Sameer Wankhede, has presented text messages exchanged with actor Shah Rukh Khan to refute allegations of making demands in favor of Khan's son, Aryan Khan, who was arrested in a drug case in 2021. Wankhede made these claims in his petition before the Bombay High Court, seeking the quashing of the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against him and others for extortion and corruption.
During today's hearing, a vacation bench of Justices Sharmila Deshmukh and Arif Doctor directed Wankhede to visit the CBI office in Mumbai on May 20, 2023. Importantly, the court also instructed the CBI not to arrest Wankhede until May 22, 2023.
Wankhede argued that the allegations of extorting money in exchange for Aryan Khan's release were baseless. To support his claim, he provided copies of messages purportedly sent by Shah Rukh Khan to his mobile phone between October 3 and 15, 2021, when Aryan Khan was in the custody of the NCB in relation to the drug case.
According to Wankhede, the text messages between him and Khan do not indicate any demand or request for favors to benefit Aryan Khan. The petition stated, "It can be clearly seen from the messages sent by Mr. Shahrukh Khan himself during the time Aryan was in the custody of NCB. Mr. Shahrukh Khan has, through his messages, clearly portrayed that he has no grievances against Wankhede and has only requested to be kind to his son."
Wankhede further claimed that Shah Rukh Khan commended his integrity and expressed frustration over the political involvement in the matter. The petition emphasized that if Wankhede had made any demands for money in exchange for releasing Aryan Khan, the tone of Shah Rukh Khan's messages would have been entirely different.
Additionally, Wankhede highlighted that even after false allegations of demands surfaced on social media, the messages exchanged with Khan maintained a cordial tone. He reiterated that if there was any truth to the allegations, Khan's messages would have made some reference to the alleged demands, whether directly or indirectly. However, such references were conspicuously absent.
Wankhede further argued that if there had been any demands, Khan would not have been sending messages to him regarding the reformation of his son. Wankhede claimed that Khan's suggestion of reformation implied that Aryan had engaged in some wrongdoing under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, of which Khan himself was aware.
The drug case against Aryan Khan was initiated by the Mumbai unit of the NCB following a search and seizure operation on the Mumbai-Goa cruise on October 2, 2021, which resulted in 20 arrests, including Aryan Khan. Aryan Khan was subsequently granted bail on October 28, 2021, and was cleared of charges on May 27, 2022.
The CBI later registered an FIR against Wankhede, alleging offenses under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code. Wankhede was summoned for interrogation on May 18, prompting him to approach the Delhi High Court seeking protection from coercive action. However, Wankhede withdrew his plea after objections regarding territorial jurisdiction were raised by the CBI, and he was granted the liberty to approach the appropriate forum.
Subsequently, Wankhede filed the present petition before the Bombay High Court, seeking the quashing of the FIR and interim relief in the form of protection from arrest. The plea also requested a stay on any ongoing investigation or the filing of a chargesheet.
During the hearing, Wankhede's advocate, Rizwan Merchant, sought interim protection from arrest, arguing that the entire process leading to the filing of the FIR was an abuse of the legal process. He further claimed that Wankhede's arrest would demoralize other officers.
In opposition, Advocate Kuldeep Patil, appearing for the CBI, vehemently opposed the petition, stating that Wankhede had been served with a notice under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Patil informed the court that as long as Wankhede cooperates, there is no reason to anticipate his arrest.
After brief arguments from both sides, the court sought replies from the NCB Special Enquiry Team (SET) and the CBI, and granted Wankhede protection from arrest until the next date of hearing, which is scheduled for May 22.
TAGS: Sameer Wankhede Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai Shah Rukh Khan Aryan Khan drug case text messages allegations demands Bombay High Court quashing of FIR CBI extortion corruption vacation bench Justices Sharmila Deshmukh Arif Doctor CBI office arrest petition allegations of demands cordial tone wild and false allegations reforming his son NDPS Act search-seizure operation arrests bail clean chit FIR registered by CBI sections 7 7A 12 120B 388 Indian Penal Code Delhi High Court protection from coercive action territorial jurisdiction Bombay High Court interim relief stay on investigation chargesheet advocate Karan Jain advocate Rizwan Merchant advocate Kuldeep Patil objections of territorial jurisdiction Code of Criminal Procedure replies from NCB Special Enquiry Team protection from arrest next date of hearing.
