Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede has told the High Court that he cannot be accused of seeking publicity merely because the arrest of a celebrity’s son naturally attracted intense media coverage. Wankhede, who headed the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai Zonal Unit during the controversial 2021 Cordelia cruise drug raid, argued that public attention was unavoidable once actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, was taken into custody.
Appearing for Wankhede, Senior Advocate Anil Anturkar submitted before a bench comprising Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad that the media spotlight during the Aryan Khan case was a consequence of the profile of the accused, not the conduct of the investigating officer. “If you arrest the son of a global celebrity like Shah Rukh Khan, the media is bound to follow. It cannot be said that the officer is media hungry,” Anturkar argued.
The submissions were made during the hearing of a petition filed by Wankhede challenging an order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and seeking consideration for promotion. The Narcotics Control Bureau sought time to file its reply, following which the High Court adjourned the matter to January 15.
Wankhede has questioned the sharp downgrade in his performance appraisal for the period between July 29, 2021 and January 3, 2022 — a timeframe that coincides with the Cordelia cruise case. According to his plea, the sudden fall in his assessment is arbitrary and violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law.
The petition states that Wankhede’s performance had consistently been rated as “very good” both before and after the disputed period. He contends that the adverse grading by his superior officers does not reflect his actual work or record and lacks any factual basis.
Filed through advocates Harshvardhan Suryavanshi, Sankalpa Rajpurohit, Kashish Chelani and Atharva Date, the plea further alleges that branding him a “bad officer” within a short span, without pointing to any misconduct or adverse material, amounts to arbitrariness and a colourable exercise of power.
The reviewing authority had, however, remarked that Wankhede had “generated avoidable controversies” and displayed a tendency to “short circuit procedures,” leading to complaints against him. These observations formed the basis for the downgraded appraisal that has now become the subject of legal challenge.
The Cordelia cruise case, which initially drew massive public and media attention, later became embroiled in allegations of corruption. Aryan Khan was eventually not chargesheeted in the matter, further intensifying scrutiny of the investigation and those involved in it.
With the High Court granting time to the NCB to place its response on record, the case is expected to be taken up again on January 15, when the court will consider the rival submissions on Wankhede’s appraisal, promotion prospects, and the legality of the CAT’s order.
Read More: Non-Filling of Part-B of E-Way Bill: Allahabad HC Quashes GST Penalty Citing Technical Glitch
