In a significant development in the ongoing extortion and bribery case involving Sameer Wankhede, the former Mumbai Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the Bombay High Court has granted him permission to amend his plea. Wankhede’s request to include the name of the alleged bribe payer in the case, actor Shah Rukh Khan, has been approved by the court. This article provides an update on the latest proceedings.
Sameer Wankhede, who is facing criminal conspiracy and extortion charges related to the Aryan Khan drug case, sought permission from the court to amend his petition to add the name of the individual allegedly offering the bribe. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had previously claimed that Wankhede and four others had demanded a bribe of Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan following the arrest of his son, Aryan Khan, in connection with drugs found on a cruise ship.
Wankhede’s lawyers, Aabad Ponda, Rizwan Merchant, and Sneha Sanap, informed the court that they needed to include additional grounds in their petition related to the sections under which the person offering the bribe to a public servant can be prosecuted. The bench of Justices AS Gadkari and SG Dige granted Wankhede permission to amend the plea with the condition that no further amendments will be entertained in the case.
The court has directed the CBI to respond to the amended plea by July 20, which is when the next hearing is scheduled. This response will be crucial in determining the course of the case and the potential involvement of Shah Rukh Khan.
In October 2021, Aryan Khan, along with others, was arrested for alleged possession, consumption, and trafficking of drugs during a raid on a cruise ship from Mumbai to Goa. After spending a month in jail, Aryan was granted bail by the high court. Subsequently, the NCB’s special team investigating the case did not name him as an accused in its chargesheet, citing a lack of evidence.
However, in response to this, the NCB formed another special team to investigate its own officers involved in the drug case. Sameer Wankhede, who was leading the initial investigation, has been at the center of controversy and allegations of extortion and bribery.
The latest development in the Aryan Khan drug case involves Sameer Wankhede’s plea amendment, which seeks to name actor Shah Rukh Khan as the individual who allegedly paid a bribe of Rs 25 crore. The court’s approval of the plea amendment sets the stage for further investigations and legal proceedings. The response from the CBI will be crucial in determining the outcome of the case and the potential implications for Shah Rukh Khan.
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