The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday told the Bombay High Court that it will complete its investigation against former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede in the Cordelia cruise bribery case within three months. [Sameer Wankhede v CBI]
The assurance came during the hearing of Wankhede’s petition seeking to quash the first information report (FIR) registered against him by the CBI for alleged demands of bribe from actor Shah Rukh Khan in relation to the cruise ship drug case in which the latter's son Aryan Khan was an accused.
The Bench of Justice AS Gadkari and Justice Rajesh Patil questioned the agency over the prolonged delay in completing the probe.
“Tell me within how many years you will complete the investigation, 10 years, 20 years?” the Court asked.
When CBI counsel advocate Kuldeep Patil initially sought time to get instructions, the Court declined and pressed for a firm commitment.
Patil then stated that the investigation would be concluded within three months.
Senior Advocate Aabad Ponda, appearing for Wankhede, objected to the repeated delays, arguing that the case had been stalled for nearly two years with the CBI stating each time that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta would appear to argue.
“This is affecting my client’s career. His promotion is on hold. If the court admits the matter, we can approach the Central Administrative Tribunal for relief,” Ponda said.
The CBI once again sought an adjournment on the same ground but the Court noted that this had become a recurring excuse and asked the agency to give a definitive timeline.
After the CBI’s commitment, the Court admitted Wankhede's petition, extended the interim protection it had earlier granted to Wankhede, shielding him from any coercive action.
However, it clarified that the CBI may proceed with filing of chargesheet during this period, subject to obtaining the court’s permission.
Wankhede was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May 2023 for allegedly demanding a ₹25-crore bribe from Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.
The complaint filed by the NCB alleged that Wankhede and others attempted to extort money from Khan in exchange for favorable treatment of latter's son Aryan Khan during the investigation into the Cruise ship drug case in which Aryan Khan was an accused.
The CBI registered the case against Wankhede under sections of the Indian Penal Code for criminal conspiracy (Section 120-B) and extortion by threat (Section 388) along with relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act related to bribery.
Wankhede has denied the allegations, calling the case politically motivated. In his defense, he submitted text messages exchanged with Shah Rukh Khan, claiming the tone of the conversations was respectful and showed no indication of coercion or any financial demand.