Tag: Aryan Khan

  • HC asks CBI not to take ‘coercive action’ against Sameer Wankhede in bribery case till Monday 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the CBI not to take any “coercive action” such as arrest till May 22 against former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede, accused of demanding Rs 25 crore bribe from superstar Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating his son Aryan Khan in the Cordelia cruise `drug bust’ case.

    Wankhede, an Indian Revenue Service official who was posted with the Narcotics Control Bureau here in 2021, has moved the court with a petition seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation against him for alleged extortion and bribery.

    A vacation bench of the court passed the order after recording Wankhede’s undertaking that he will remain present at the CBI’s office in Bandra Kurla Complex here at 11 am on Saturday.

    The CBI shall not take any “coercive action” against Wankhede till May 22, the HC said.

    ALSO READ | ‘Punished for being patriot’, says Sameer Wankhede on CBI raids in Rs 25 crore bribery case

    The central agency registered the FIR against Wankhede and four others recently for alleged criminal conspiracy and threat of extortion besides offences related to bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act on the NCB’s complaint.

    Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, following alleged drug seizure on board the Cordelia cruise ship here.

    He was granted bail by the high court after three weeks as the anti-drugs agency failed to substantiate its charges against him.

    The CBI alleged that the NCB Mumbai Zone had received information in October 2021 regarding the consumption and possession of narcotic substances by various individuals on the cruise ship, and some NCB officers conspired to get bribes from the accused in return for letting them off.

    The CBI had summoned Wankhede for questioning in Mumbai on Thursday, but he did not appear.

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the CBI not to take any “coercive action” such as arrest till May 22 against former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede, accused of demanding Rs 25 crore bribe from superstar Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating his son Aryan Khan in the Cordelia cruise `drug bust’ case.

    Wankhede, an Indian Revenue Service official who was posted with the Narcotics Control Bureau here in 2021, has moved the court with a petition seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation against him for alleged extortion and bribery.

    A vacation bench of the court passed the order after recording Wankhede’s undertaking that he will remain present at the CBI’s office in Bandra Kurla Complex here at 11 am on Saturday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The CBI shall not take any “coercive action” against Wankhede till May 22, the HC said.

    ALSO READ | ‘Punished for being patriot’, says Sameer Wankhede on CBI raids in Rs 25 crore bribery case

    The central agency registered the FIR against Wankhede and four others recently for alleged criminal conspiracy and threat of extortion besides offences related to bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act on the NCB’s complaint.

    Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, following alleged drug seizure on board the Cordelia cruise ship here.

    He was granted bail by the high court after three weeks as the anti-drugs agency failed to substantiate its charges against him.

    The CBI alleged that the NCB Mumbai Zone had received information in October 2021 regarding the consumption and possession of narcotic substances by various individuals on the cruise ship, and some NCB officers conspired to get bribes from the accused in return for letting them off.

    The CBI had summoned Wankhede for questioning in Mumbai on Thursday, but he did not appear.

  • Aryan Khan bribery case: CBI summons ex-NCB officer Sameer Wankhede

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The CBI has summoned former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede for questioning on Thursday in connection with alleged demand of Rs 25 crore from superstar Shah Rukh Khan to not implicate his son Aryan in the Cordelia cruise ship drug bust case, officials said.

    Wankhede, who has been booked along with four others in the case, is likely to appear before the CBI team in Mumbai, they said.

    According to details of the FIR made public on Monday, independent witnesses K P Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail, now deceased, were included by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Cordelia cruise ship drug raid on October 2, 2021, on the directions of Wankhede.

    Gosavi, his aide Sanvile D’Souza and others had entered into the conspiracy to “extort Rs 25 crore” from the family members of Aryan, son of Shah Rukh Khan, by “threatening them of the accusation of offences of possession of narcotics substances.”

    In order to let him walk free, Gosavi and D’Souza negotiated the amount bringing it down to Rs 18 crore and even collected a token of Rs 50 lakh and returned a part of the amount later, the FIR alleged.

    Aryan Khan, who was formally arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, after a raid on the Cordelia cruise ship a day before, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 28 after he had spent 25 days in jail. But his name was not included in the list of accused in the NCB charge sheet for lack of evidence.

    The SET (special enquiry team) in its findings, now part of the FIR, said Aryan Khan and other suspects were brought to the NCB office in Gosavi’s private vehicle on October 2, 2021.

    Wankhede, in the capacity of the immediate supervisory officer, had directed to take Gosavi and Sail as the independent witness in the proceedings against the accused in the drug bust case, the FIR states.

    He had directed then NCB superintendent V V Singh to let Gosavi “handle the accused” while taking him to the NCB office, thereby “allowing a freehand” to him and others in order to create a visual impression that Gosavi had the custody of the accused, it said.

    “It appeared that the presence of the independent witness Gosavi around accused persons was created intentionally in such a manner so as to give an impression that Gosavi was an NCB personnel even though there were NCB personnel to handle the custody of the accused persons,” the FIR stated.

    Gosavi was allowed to be present in the company of the accused persons and even allowed to come to the NCB office after the raid and took the freedom to click selfies and recorded the voice note of an accused.

    This position “allowed” Gosavi and D’Souza to enter into a “conspiracy” with others to allegedly demand the bribe from Shah Rukh Khan, officials added.

    NEW DELHI: The CBI has summoned former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede for questioning on Thursday in connection with alleged demand of Rs 25 crore from superstar Shah Rukh Khan to not implicate his son Aryan in the Cordelia cruise ship drug bust case, officials said.

    Wankhede, who has been booked along with four others in the case, is likely to appear before the CBI team in Mumbai, they said.

    According to details of the FIR made public on Monday, independent witnesses K P Gosavi and Prabhakar Sail, now deceased, were included by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Cordelia cruise ship drug raid on October 2, 2021, on the directions of Wankhede.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Gosavi, his aide Sanvile D’Souza and others had entered into the conspiracy to “extort Rs 25 crore” from the family members of Aryan, son of Shah Rukh Khan, by “threatening them of the accusation of offences of possession of narcotics substances.”

    In order to let him walk free, Gosavi and D’Souza negotiated the amount bringing it down to Rs 18 crore and even collected a token of Rs 50 lakh and returned a part of the amount later, the FIR alleged.

    Aryan Khan, who was formally arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, after a raid on the Cordelia cruise ship a day before, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 28 after he had spent 25 days in jail. But his name was not included in the list of accused in the NCB charge sheet for lack of evidence.

    The SET (special enquiry team) in its findings, now part of the FIR, said Aryan Khan and other suspects were brought to the NCB office in Gosavi’s private vehicle on October 2, 2021.

    Wankhede, in the capacity of the immediate supervisory officer, had directed to take Gosavi and Sail as the independent witness in the proceedings against the accused in the drug bust case, the FIR states.

    He had directed then NCB superintendent V V Singh to let Gosavi “handle the accused” while taking him to the NCB office, thereby “allowing a freehand” to him and others in order to create a visual impression that Gosavi had the custody of the accused, it said.

    “It appeared that the presence of the independent witness Gosavi around accused persons was created intentionally in such a manner so as to give an impression that Gosavi was an NCB personnel even though there were NCB personnel to handle the custody of the accused persons,” the FIR stated.

    Gosavi was allowed to be present in the company of the accused persons and even allowed to come to the NCB office after the raid and took the freedom to click selfies and recorded the voice note of an accused.

    This position “allowed” Gosavi and D’Souza to enter into a “conspiracy” with others to allegedly demand the bribe from Shah Rukh Khan, officials added.

  • Aryan Khan case: Sameer Wankhede closed bribe deal for Rs 18 cr, reveals CBI FIR

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which booked former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede for allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore as a bribe for not framing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case, said that the deal was closed for Rs 18 crore adding that assets to Wankhade were not proportionate to his known sources of income.

    According to the CBI FIR copy, the NCB team head by Sameer Wankhede allowed people who were actually in possession of drugs and the supplier as well to go.

    The FIR copy said Arbaaz Merchant had confessed of possession Charas to NCB but he was allowed to go.

    Siddarth Shah who had allegedly supplied charas to Arbaaz Merchant was also allowed to walk free, the CBI FIR said adding that incriminating chats between the two were ignored.

    The federal agency said the accused were brought in a private vehicle. The private vehicle belonged to KP Gosavi (independent witness). This was done to show the accused that Gosavi was an NCB employee, though he was not.

    CBI claimed that Gosavi was allowed close proximity to the accused against the rules. An effort was made to extort Rs 25 crore, but the deal was closed for Rs 18 crore. Out of this Rs 50 lakh was paid in advance.

    Other corruption charges against Sameer Wamkhade and other NCB Officials were also in the process.

    CBI said the assets to Wankhade were not proportionate to his known sources of income. The FIR copy said he was not able to justify expenses made during his foreign visit.

    Wankhade has been selling and purchasing expensive wristwatches with a private entity, said CBI.

    CBI registered a case against former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer, Sameer Wankhede and three others for allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore as a bribe for not framing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case.

    Wankhede on Saturday alleged that he was being punished for being a patriot. Wankhede’s statement came in response to the CBI raids at his residence and other premises on Friday. Wankhede alleged that 18 CBI officials on Friday raided his house while his wife and children were present in his house.

    “I am getting rewarded for being a patriot, yesterday 18 CBI officials raided my residence and searched it for more than 12 hours while my wife and children were present in the house. They found Rs 23,000 and four property papers. These assets were acquired before I joined the service,” Wankhede said on Saturday.

    Sameer Wankhede further claimed that CBI officials took the phone of his wife Kranti Redkar in their possession.

    CBI on Friday conducted searches at 29 locations across the country following the alleged corruption case against him and three others linked to the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case. Wankhede had raided Cordelia Cruise and arrested Actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in an alleged drug case. Aryan Khan case: Sameer Wankhede closed bribe deal for Rs 18 cr, reveals CBI FIR

    MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which booked former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede for allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore as a bribe for not framing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case, said that the deal was closed for Rs 18 crore adding that assets to Wankhade were not proportionate to his known sources of income.

    According to the CBI FIR copy, the NCB team head by Sameer Wankhede allowed people who were actually in possession of drugs and the supplier as well to go.

    The FIR copy said Arbaaz Merchant had confessed of possession Charas to NCB but he was allowed to go.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Siddarth Shah who had allegedly supplied charas to Arbaaz Merchant was also allowed to walk free, the CBI FIR said adding that incriminating chats between the two were ignored.

    The federal agency said the accused were brought in a private vehicle. The private vehicle belonged to KP Gosavi (independent witness). This was done to show the accused that Gosavi was an NCB employee, though he was not.

    CBI claimed that Gosavi was allowed close proximity to the accused against the rules. An effort was made to extort Rs 25 crore, but the deal was closed for Rs 18 crore. Out of this Rs 50 lakh was paid in advance.

    Other corruption charges against Sameer Wamkhade and other NCB Officials were also in the process.

    CBI said the assets to Wankhade were not proportionate to his known sources of income. The FIR copy said he was not able to justify expenses made during his foreign visit.

    Wankhade has been selling and purchasing expensive wristwatches with a private entity, said CBI.

    CBI registered a case against former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer, Sameer Wankhede and three others for allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore as a bribe for not framing Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case.

    Wankhede on Saturday alleged that he was being punished for being a patriot. Wankhede’s statement came in response to the CBI raids at his residence and other premises on Friday. Wankhede alleged that 18 CBI officials on Friday raided his house while his wife and children were present in his house.

    “I am getting rewarded for being a patriot, yesterday 18 CBI officials raided my residence and searched it for more than 12 hours while my wife and children were present in the house. They found Rs 23,000 and four property papers. These assets were acquired before I joined the service,” Wankhede said on Saturday.

    Sameer Wankhede further claimed that CBI officials took the phone of his wife Kranti Redkar in their possession.

    CBI on Friday conducted searches at 29 locations across the country following the alleged corruption case against him and three others linked to the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case. Wankhede had raided Cordelia Cruise and arrested Actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in an alleged drug case. Aryan Khan case: Sameer Wankhede closed bribe deal for Rs 18 cr, reveals CBI FIR

  • ‘Punished for being patriot’, says Sameer Wankhede on CBI raids in Rs 25 crore bribery case

    By Agencies

    MUMBAI: Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer, Sameer Wankhede, who is accused of allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore as a bribe for not framing Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case, on Saturday alleged that he was being punished for being a patriot.

    Wankhede’s statement came in response to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids raiding his residence and other premises on Friday.

    Wankhede alleged that 18 CBI officials yesterday raided his house while his wife and children were present in his house. “I am getting rewarded for being a patriot, yesterday 18 CBI officials raided my residence and searched it for more than 12 hours while my wife and children were present in the house. They found Rs 23,000 and four property papers. These assets were acquired before I joined the service,” said Wankhede, as quoted by ANI.

    Wankhede further claimed that CBI officials also took the phone of his wife Kranti Redkar in their possession. 

    On May 12, the CBI registered a case against Sameer Wankhede and three others in connection with a corruption case related to the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case.

    According to reports, the CBI had received information that Sameer Wankhede and his accomplice allegedly collected Rs 50 lakhs as advance to not frame Aryan Khan in the drug case.

    The CBI on May 12 had also conducted searches at 29 locations in Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi, Lucknow, Guwahati and Chennai after filing the FIR against the 2008-batch IRS officer Wankhede and four others — then NCB Superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, Intelligence Officer Ashish Ranjan and two private persons K P Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza — in the case.

    The official statement reads thus, “It has been alleged that the said officials of Narcotics Control Bureau of Mumbai Zone, in order to obtain undue advantage from the persons/ others in the Case No. 94/2021 of Mumbai Zone, earlier registered & investigated under the supervision of then Zonal Director of Mumbai Zone of NCB, had entered into criminal conspiracy with others and had allegedly obtained undue advantage in the form of bribes from the alleged accused of Case No. 94/2021 of NCB Mumbai Zone.”

    The probe agency alleged the NCB, Mumbai Zone had received information in October, 2021 related to the consumption and possession of narcotics substances by various individuals on a private cruise ship.

    “It has also been alleged that the said persons entered into conspiracy in order to extort an amount of Rs 25 crore (approx) from family members of the alleged accused of the case No.94/2021 of NCB, Mumbai, by threatening them of the accusation of offences of possession of narcotics substances as per the alleged directions of then zonal director (Wankhede) being the supervisory officer,” a CBI spokesperson told PTI.

    Wankhede had raided Cordelia Cruise and arrested Aryan Khan in an alleged drug case. 

    Aryan Khan, who was formally arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 28, 2021 after spending 25 days in jail.

    The NCB on May 27, 2022 also filed a 6,000-page charge sheet against 14 accused, giving a clean chit to Aryan Khan.

    NCB officials said Aryan Khan and five others were not named in the agency’s charge sheet due to “lack of sufficient evidence”.

    Wankhede, who headed the Narcotics Control Bureau Zonal Unit in Mumbai at the time of Aryan Khan’s arrest, was transferred to the DG Taxpayer Service Directorate in Chennai in May last year.

    The much-hyped case took a twist when an ‘independent witness’ had claimed in 2021 that Rs 25 crore was demanded by an NCB official and other persons, including a witness Gosavi, to let off Aryan Khan.

    Prabhakar Sail, the ‘independent witness’, now deceased, had told media persons that he had overheard Gosavi telling D’Souza over the phone about the demand of Rs 25 crore after Aryan Khan was brought to the NCB office after the October 2 raid.

    He also claimed NCB officials had asked him to sign nine to ten blank papers.

    However, a senior NCB official had denied the allegations, terming them as “completely false and malicious”.

    (With PTI, ANI inputs)

    MUMBAI: Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer, Sameer Wankhede, who is accused of allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore as a bribe for not framing Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case, on Saturday alleged that he was being punished for being a patriot.

    Wankhede’s statement came in response to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raids raiding his residence and other premises on Friday.

    Wankhede alleged that 18 CBI officials yesterday raided his house while his wife and children were present in his house. “I am getting rewarded for being a patriot, yesterday 18 CBI officials raided my residence and searched it for more than 12 hours while my wife and children were present in the house. They found Rs 23,000 and four property papers. These assets were acquired before I joined the service,” said Wankhede, as quoted by ANI.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Wankhede further claimed that CBI officials also took the phone of his wife Kranti Redkar in their possession. 

    On May 12, the CBI registered a case against Sameer Wankhede and three others in connection with a corruption case related to the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case.

    According to reports, the CBI had received information that Sameer Wankhede and his accomplice allegedly collected Rs 50 lakhs as advance to not frame Aryan Khan in the drug case.

    The CBI on May 12 had also conducted searches at 29 locations in Mumbai, Delhi, Ranchi, Lucknow, Guwahati and Chennai after filing the FIR against the 2008-batch IRS officer Wankhede and four others — then NCB Superintendent Vishwa Vijay Singh, Intelligence Officer Ashish Ranjan and two private persons K P Gosavi and Sanvile D’Souza — in the case.

    The official statement reads thus, “It has been alleged that the said officials of Narcotics Control Bureau of Mumbai Zone, in order to obtain undue advantage from the persons/ others in the Case No. 94/2021 of Mumbai Zone, earlier registered & investigated under the supervision of then Zonal Director of Mumbai Zone of NCB, had entered into criminal conspiracy with others and had allegedly obtained undue advantage in the form of bribes from the alleged accused of Case No. 94/2021 of NCB Mumbai Zone.”

    The probe agency alleged the NCB, Mumbai Zone had received information in October, 2021 related to the consumption and possession of narcotics substances by various individuals on a private cruise ship.

    “It has also been alleged that the said persons entered into conspiracy in order to extort an amount of Rs 25 crore (approx) from family members of the alleged accused of the case No.94/2021 of NCB, Mumbai, by threatening them of the accusation of offences of possession of narcotics substances as per the alleged directions of then zonal director (Wankhede) being the supervisory officer,” a CBI spokesperson told PTI.

    Wankhede had raided Cordelia Cruise and arrested Aryan Khan in an alleged drug case. 

    Aryan Khan, who was formally arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on October 28, 2021 after spending 25 days in jail.

    The NCB on May 27, 2022 also filed a 6,000-page charge sheet against 14 accused, giving a clean chit to Aryan Khan.

    NCB officials said Aryan Khan and five others were not named in the agency’s charge sheet due to “lack of sufficient evidence”.

    Wankhede, who headed the Narcotics Control Bureau Zonal Unit in Mumbai at the time of Aryan Khan’s arrest, was transferred to the DG Taxpayer Service Directorate in Chennai in May last year.

    The much-hyped case took a twist when an ‘independent witness’ had claimed in 2021 that Rs 25 crore was demanded by an NCB official and other persons, including a witness Gosavi, to let off Aryan Khan.

    Prabhakar Sail, the ‘independent witness’, now deceased, had told media persons that he had overheard Gosavi telling D’Souza over the phone about the demand of Rs 25 crore after Aryan Khan was brought to the NCB office after the October 2 raid.

    He also claimed NCB officials had asked him to sign nine to ten blank papers.

    However, a senior NCB official had denied the allegations, terming them as “completely false and malicious”.

    (With PTI, ANI inputs)

  • Nawab Malik exposed farce behind drugs-on-cruise case, but paying price for it: Raut

    Talking to reporters in Kolhapur, Raut said Malik is paying the price for exposing the farce behind the case and the real face of the BJP.

  • Maharashtra in 2021: Courts stepped in during COVID second wave; Aryan Khan, Anil Deshmukh in limelight

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: As the devastating second wave of COVID-19 hit Maharashtra early this year, the Bombay High Court stepped in to provide relief to harried citizens with a slew of judgements related to oxygen supply, medical aid, hospital beds and vaccinations, while in 2021, the legal landscape was also dominated by cases related to star kid Aryan Khan, politician Anil Deshmukh, police officers Param Bir Singh and Sachin Waze.

    The HC found itself flooded with public interest litigations (PILs) and pleas filed by citizens in the wake of the second wave of the pandemic, and the high court immediately stepped in to set in motion a system adept at tackling the health crisis.

    The high court at all its benches in the state – Mumbai, Nagpur and Aurangabad – passed several directions this year on oxygen supply, stocking up and providing anti-COVID-19 vaccines, timely medical aid, hospital beds and directions to decongest public spaces and prisons.

    The Bombay HC provided proactive judicial relief through its timely orders on streamlining the vaccination process for citizens, prioritising it for the elderly, and vulnerable sections, including the mentally ill and destitute.

    The HC directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to begin door-to -door vaccination against COVID-19 for the elderly and the physically unequipped in the metropolis despite resistance from the Union government in granting a go ahead to the state authorities for the initiative.

    The high court functioned through the summer vacations to preside over all COVID-19-related matters.

    In December, Chief Justice Dipankar Datta said Maharashtra was one of the pioneers in successfully tackling the COVID-19 crisis.

    “Let us not forget about the dark days. We must not let our guards down. We hope the New Year brings in a new beginning and we never see a repeat of April 2021,” CJ Datta had said while referring to the second wave of the pandemic.

    Apart from coronavirus-related matters, the courts across Maharashtra also witnessed several high-profile cases like the arrest of superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in a drug related offence, arrest of former home minister Anil Deshmukh, criminal cases related to suspended IPS officer Param Bir Singh and arrest of former cop Sachin Waze in the Antilia bomb scare case.

    Businessman Raj Kundra, husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, spent two months in jail after his arrest in a case related to alleged creation and distribution of pornographic films through apps.

    A high court judge, Justice Pushpa Ganediwala, was criticised over a series of judgments that were deemed controversial for their interpretation of what constitutes a sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act).

    Justice Ganediwala came under the scanner for her judgments that ruled that there has to be ‘skin-to-skin contact with sexual intent’ for an act to be considered as an offence of sexual assault under the POCSO Act, and that “holding hands of a minor girl and opening of zip of his pants’ does not fall under the definition of ‘sexual assault’ in the special legislation enacted in 2012.”

    Taking a dim view of these rulings, the Supreme Court Collegium later decided not to recommend Justice Ganediwala’s name as a permanent judge which means she would be demoted back to district judiciary at the end of her additional judgeship in February 2022.

    Actor Shah Rukh Khan’s 23-year-old son Aryan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on October 3 in the drugs-on-cruise case.

    Aryan Khan, who was accused of illicit drug trafficking, consumption, possession and sale/purchase of drugs, was released on bail by the HC on October 28.

    Justice N W Sambre, while granting bail to Aryan Khan, observed there was no positive evidence to show that the star kid conspired to commit drug-related offences.

    The high court refused to accept the NCB’s argument that there were WhatsApp chats to prove its case.

    The drugs-on-cruise case opened a can of worms with NCB Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede, who was supervising some high-profile drugs-related matters, coming under the lens over allegations of extortion attempt and corruption.

    Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik levelled serious allegations against Wankhede, whose father later filed a defamation suit against the politician in the HC.

    Actor Kangana Ranaut faced several legal complaints this year.

    Apart from a defamation suit filed by lyricist Javed Akhthar, Ranaut also faced complaints for her social media posts against Sikhs.

    In September, Ranaut appeared before a Mumbai court in connection with the defamation suit filed against her by Akhtar.

    Ranaut claimed she had lost faith in the court as it had indirectly threatened to issue a warrant against her.

    Two other significant matters that dominated the HC proceedings throughout 2021 were the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, and the investigation and litigation that followed in the aftermath of allegations of misconduct and corruption made against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh by ex-Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

    The Elgar Parishad case forced the HC to examine a citizen’s fundamental rights to life and liberty guaranteed by Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.

    As the lower courts denied bail and other reliefs, including medical aid, a pair of spectacles and a straw sipper to some of the activists and academics arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, the accused moved the HC seeking protection of their rights.

    The high court granted temporary medical bail to ailing poet Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, in February on humanitarian grounds.

    A bench led by Justice SS Shinde said if the HC did not grant Rao such bail, it would be “abdicating its duty to protect the principles of human rights.”

    Another accused in the case, Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Stan Swamy, however, could not get medical bail from the HC.

    He was permitted by the court to be admitted to a private hospital where he died in July.

    In December, the HC granted bail to another accused Sudha Bharadwaj.

    On April 5, a bench led by CJ Datta directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI to conduct a Preliminary Enquiry into the allegations of corruption levelled against Deshmukh.

    Besides the CBI FIR, Deshmukh also faced a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a case of money laundering.

    This led to a barrage of petitions by the Maharashtra government, Deshmukh, Singh, highlighting the centre-state tussle on the issue, and all seeking reliefs ranging from independent probes, expunging some portions of the CBI’s FIR, protection from arrest, among other things.

    On December 16, the HC dismissed a plea filed by the Maharashtra government alleging bias by the CBI.

    Deshmukh, booked under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), was arrested by the ED in November.

    The NIA filed a chargesheet in a special court against ten persons, including dismissed cop Sachin Waze, in the case related to Antilia bomb scare and killing of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran.

    Param Bir Singh is facing as many as five extortion cases in Mumbai and Thane.

    The courts concerned issued non-bailable warrants against him for failing to appear before them.

    A court in Mumbai had declared him a proclaimed offender as he was not traceable.

    However, Singh, who had not reported to work since May after his transfer from the post of Mumbai police commissioner appeared before the courts towards the end of November.

    He got the warrants and the proclamation order cancelled.

    The Supreme Court has granted Singh protection from arrest.

    Union Minister Narayan Rane was arrested by the Maharashtra police and faced multiple complaints over his controversial remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    In November, the HC commuted to life term the death penalty awarded to three convicts in the 2013 Shakti Mills gangrape case in Mumbai.

    The court had then noted that although the offence was “barbaric and heinous”, it cannot be said at the threshold that the convicts deserve only death penalty and nothing less than that.

    “A sentence of death is irrevocable and therefore, the basic principle in sentencing policy would be life imprisonment is the Rule and Death Penalty is an Exception,” the court observed.

  • After HC’s detailed order in Aryan Khan case comes out, Nawab Malik seeks action against Sameer Wankhede

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Saturday said the detailed order of the Bombay High Court on Aryan Khan’s bail application corroborated his claim that the drugs case against Khan and others was bogus.

    Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede should be suspended following the court’s findings, he said.

    Malik has been targeting Wankhede ever since the NCB official led a raid on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on October 2 during which drugs were allegedly seized and Aryan Khan, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, was arrested.

    ALSO READ | No positive evidence to show Aryan Khan, 2 others conspired to commit drug-related offences: Bombay HC

    While Aryan got bail on October 28, the detailed order became available on Saturday.

    Malik said in a statement that the order puts a question mark on the NCB’s arrest of Aryan Khan.

    He also reiterated his allegation that Aryan was kidnapped for the purpose of extortion.

    Wankhede had moved the high court when actor Rhea Chakraborty was granted bail by the lower court in an alleged drugs case last year, and the NCB officer would move the Supreme Court in Aryan’s case now, the minister alleged .

    “Such wastage of public funds should stop,” he said.

    When contacted, Sameer Wankhede said he can not comment on the high court’s order as the matter was sub-judice (before a court).

    The officer also said he did not want to give importance to Malik’s allegations.

    As per the detailed order of Justice N W Sambre on bail pleas of Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and fashion model Munmun Dhamecha, WhatsApp chats extracted from Aryan’s phone showed that nothing objectionable was noticed to suggest that he and others had hatched any conspiracy.

    “There is hardly any positive evidence on record to convince this court that all the accused persons with common intention agreed to commit unlawful acts,” the court said.

  • Nawab Malik seeks action against NCB’s Sameer Wankhede after HC verdict on Aryan Khan case

    By Express News Service

    MUMBAI: After the release of Bombay High Court’s detailed bail order in the Aryan Khan drug case, NCP minister Nawab Malik on Saturday demanded immediate suspension of former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede for “framing” Khan and other accused.

    ​ALSO READ | No positive evidence to show Aryan Khan, 2 others conspired to commit drug-related offences: Bombay HC

    Malik said that since day one he has been telling that the case is nothing but well-orchestrated plan to frame Aryan Khan and others by Sameer Wankhede and his “private army”. Malik said the court’s detailed bail order proved it was a “kidnapping and ransom” incident.

    “It was a pre-planned plot but one selfie by KP Gosavi spoiled their plan of extortion. The fraudulent plan of Sameer Wankhede and his people has been exposed in broad daylight now,” Malik added. Malik said that despite this “crystal clear” court order, if BJP leaders are trying to protect Wankhede, it will prove the  BJP is behind him in framing innocent people in drug cases.

  • No positive evidence to show Aryan Khan, 2 others conspired to commit drug-related offences: Bombay HC 

    The court said that perusal of the WhatsApp chats extracted from the phone of Aryan Khan shows that nothing objectionable was noticed to suggest that accused hatched a conspiracy.

  • No evidence against Aryan Khan, WhatsApp chats not objectionable: Bombay HC on cruise drugs case

    By Express News Service

    MUMBAI: There is no evidence of any conspiracy between Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha to commit drug-related offences and there is also nothing objectionable in the WhatsApp conversations between them, the Bombay High Court said in its bail order released on Saturday.

    The high court uploaded the detailed bail order in the drug case and stated that the trio did not conspire to commit the offence under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The court on October 28 had granted bail to all the three accused.

    “Prima facie there is no evidence against Aryan Khan and the other two accused. The court also rejects the hatching the conspiracy plan claimed by the NCB by this trio,” the order stated.

    The court rejected the NCB’s argument that since Section 29 of the NDPS Act pertaining to conspiracy was applicable, rigours for bail under Section 37 of the NDPS Act would apply and the cumulative quantity recovered should be considered.

    The court noted that no drug was found in Aryan’s possession while the quantity recovered from Arbaz and Munmun were “small” quantities under the NDPS Act. In such a scenario, in order to invoke offence of conspiracy against the accused, there has to be positive evidence about an agreement to do an unlawful act or to do lawful act by unlawful means and such agreement must precede with meeting of minds, the court said.

    But there was no such material in the instant case, the court held. As per the presented material, it showed that Aryan and Arbaz were travelling together while Munmum had an independent travel plan. The court observed that merely because Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were travelling in the same cruise, that by itself cannot be a foundation for the charge of conspiracy.

    The accused were not even subject to a medical examination to determine whether at relevant time they had consumed drugs. The court also stated that the confession statement of the accused presented by the NCB could not be cited as evidence considering the Supreme Court observations in the Tofan Singh versus State of Tamil Nadu.

    Therefore, the NCB claim of the accused admitting their crime must be rejected. Aryan was taken into custody by the NCB on October 2 after the agency raided a cruise ship en route to Goa from Mumbai. He was arrested from the terminal to the cruise.