Bombay High Court grants interim relief to Sameer Wankhede in NCB probe

The Bombay High Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to former zonal director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Sameer Wankhede, in relation to the investigation against him for alleged irregularities in cases probed by Wankhede during his stint with the NCB [Sameer Wankhede v. NCB & Ors].A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Manjusha Deshpande sought the response of the NCB to Wankhede’s plea challenging preliminary enquiries against him and the consequent notices sent to him by the NCB.After NCB’s lawyer sought time to seek instructions from the Director General of NCB, the Court posted the matter for hearing on April 10 and directed the investigating agency not to take any coercive action against Wankhede..The notices were issued against Wankhede for preliminary enquiry in relation to alleged irregularities in two cases probe by Wankhede - the drug case initiated after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput where actress Rhea Chakraborty was arrested and case against a Nigerian national for possessing cocaine..In his petition, Wankhede claimed that the enquiries against him were initiated based on malicious and anonymous complaints filed by former minister Nawab Malik who wanted to wreak vengeance on Wankhede for arresting Malik's son-in-law in a drug case..He added that enquiries initiated against Wankhede would also give ammunition to the accused persons in the cases which were being probed by him.“Any kind of proposed action and/or enquiry instituted or established by the NCB on any of the said anonymous complaints and/or by absconding wanted accused shall cast aspersions upon the integrity of the charge sheets filed before the trial court. Not to mention become a ground of the accused persons who have been arrested and charge sheeted due to the efforts of the Petitioner; solely because the NCB nurses a grudge against the Petitioner as the latter before the CAT had submitted internal WhatsApp chats between him and his superiors who instructed him to conduct the very same exercise which they now seek to penalise and prosecute him for,” Wankhede’s petition highlighted..Wankhede sought direction to quash and set aside the preliminary notices issued since November 21, 2023. He also sought quashing of the communication issued by Union Home Ministry in August last year to enquire into a complaint forwarded by Malik..Senior advocate Rajeev Chauhan appeared for Wankhede.Advocate Manisha Jagtap appeared for NCB.[Read order]