Bombay HC extends interim relief against Sameer Wankhede in extortion case till June 28
The Hindu
The Bombay High Court on June 23 extended the temporary relief granted to Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede by directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to not take any coercive action against him till June 28 in a corruption and extortion case against him.
The Bombay High Court on June 23 extended the temporary relief granted to Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede by directing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to not take any coercive action against him till June 28 in a corruption and extortion case against him.
A Division Bench of A.S. Gadkari and Justice Shivkumar Dige was hearing a petition filed by the former zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to quash the First Information Report (FIR) against him by the CBI alleging that he demanded ₹25 crore bribe from actor Shah Rukh Khan for not arresting his son Aryan in the drug racket case of October 2021.
CBI prosecutor on Friday told the Bench that the order by the High Court (passed last month) of no coercive action against Mr. Wankhede was causing prejudice to the Central agency.
The Bench asked how an arrest could be made without serving him a notice under Section 41A (notice of appearance before police officer) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The court said, “Once you give notice under 41A your intention is not to arrest him. Or else make a statement that you will give 48 hours’ notice before arresting him.”
The court then asked for the case diary (a record maintained by the police in the investigation). However, the CBI did not have it then. The court directed the CBI to produce the case diary and extended the interim relief to Mr. Wankhede till June 28.
Mr. Wankhede had come to the limelight following the high-profile October 2021 raids by the NCB on a Mumbai cruise after which the agency had arrested Aryan Khan and 19 others and claimed to have seized some narcotics too.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”