CAT tweaks earlier order, gives more cushion to Wankhede
MUMBAI: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Tuesday modified its earlier order, widening the protection granted to Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede in connection with the departmental proceedings against him.
The principal bench of the CAT at Delhi had by its earlier order specifically protected Wankhede from NCB’S Special Enquiry Team (SET)’S preliminary probe, led by its DDG Gyaneshwar Singh.
After the initiation of two fresh preliminary probes last October under then DDG Sanjay Kumar Singh, Wankhede moved the CAT again for modification of its earlier order seeking protection from the fresh inquiries as well.
Accordingly, the CAT bench comprising members Pratima K Gupta and Tarun Sridhar on Tuesday modified the March 2024 order.
The bench disposed of Wankhede’s fresh plea, “directing that the evidence recorded during the course of the preliminary inquiry, including an inquiry conducted by the SET” will not be relied upon in any further departmental inquiry, disciplinary proceedings against the IRS officer.
Earlier, the Delhi high court had in March clarified that the evidence recorded by NCB’S Special Enquiry Team should not be relied upon in any departmental enquiry that might be held against him.
The SET was an internal vigilance inquiry set up by the NCB under its then deputy directorgeneral (northern region) Gyaneshwar Singh to examine alleged misconduct by the Wankhede-led NCB Mumbai zonal unit’s team probing the October 2021 Cordelia cruise drug bust case, in which Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan was allegedly implicated. Wankhede recently moved the Bombay high court against two preliminary probes initiated by NCB’S Mumbai unit under DDG Singh’s supervision to examine alleged irregularities in two cases that the former was investigating as the Mumbai zonal director of the NCB. Between November 2023 and March 2024 the NCB issued 11 notices to Wankhede after which the IRS officer moved the Bombay high court challenging the inquiry and the notices. He was being targeted by the NCB, he asserted and that the inquiry constitutes an ‘act of vengeance.’ On April 1, the high court restrained the NCB from taking any coercive action against him till April 10.
The NCB has initiated two preliminary enquiries against Wankhede in the investigations undertaken by the agency into alleged drug links of Bollywood after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput and in another case involving the arrest of a Nigerian national for drug possession.
When contacted, a NCB source said, “The CAT’S modified order will have no impact whatsoever on NCB’S two Preliminary probes underway since November 2023 as they are being heard in the Bombay high court and are sub-judice. In any case, the CAT order is just a reiteration of the earlier similar order by the Delhi high court.” When contacted, Wankhede did not comment but one of his aides claimed, “It’s a victory against (then DDG) Sanjay Singh, SET and NCB.”