The Bombay High Court on Monday extended the interim protection granted to former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede till June 8. Wankhede is accused of taking bribe of Rs 25 crore from bollywood star Sharukh Khan relating to Cordelia 'drugs bust' case involving Aryan Khan.
A vacation bench of justices Abhay Ahuja and M. M. Sathaye extended Wankhede's interim protection from any coercive action, such as arrest. The bench was hearing his plea seeking quashing of the CBI's FIR against him.
The bench also directed him to appear before the CBI whenever he is called, do not talk to the media and not tamper with the evidence.
While appearing for hearing at the court Wankhede said that he and his wife have been receiving threats through social media. "My wife Kranti Redkar, and I, have been receiving threats for the past four days and are receiving obscene messages on social media. I will write to Mumbai Police Commissioner today about it and demand special security,” Wankhede was quoted by ANI.
Based on the vigilance report submitted by the NCB, which alleged an extortion attempt in the Cordelia case, an FIR was registered against Wankhede by the CBI. Wankhede along with four others was booked for alleged criminal conspiracy and extortion threats.
The report further alleged that he had under-declared expenses on some foreign trips he had taken after joining the service.
While challenging the CBI's action against him, the high court had granted the officer protection from arrest till May 22.
Aryan Khan was arrested by the NCB on October 3, 2021 after a raid on the Cordelia cruise ship. As NCB failed to produce evidence against him, Wankhede was granted bail by the Bombay HC.
