The Bombay High Court has issued summonses to both the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in response to a petition filed by a journalist alleging irregularities by NCB DDG Gyaneshwar Singh. The Bombay HC has slated the matter for a hearing on June 11.
Gyaneshwar Singh helmed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was tasked with investigating allegations against former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede. Previously, on February 10, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated legal proceedings against Wankhede over an alleged demand for a bribe of Rs 25 crore from the family of superstar Shah Rukh Khan to exempt his son from a drug-related case. The case has been lodged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The CBI has registered a case against Wankhede in connection with the cruise ship drug case. The agency has asserted that the financial transaction amounted to Rs 18 crore, highlighting that Wankhede’s assets did not correspond proportionately to his known sources of income. According to the FIR, he failed to justify the expenses incurred during his overseas trip.
In 2021, Wankhede, a member of the 2008 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) within the Customs and Indirect Taxes cadre, conducted a raid on the Cordelia Cruise and apprehended Aryan Khan, the son of Actor Shah Rukh Khan, along with co-accused Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha, in connection with an alleged drug-related incident. Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha were released on bail by the Bombay High Court on October 28, 2021.