Maharashtra govt seeks action against Sameer Wankhede

A day after the Narcotics Control Bureau gave a clean chit to six persons, including Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, in Cordelia drugs-on-cruise case, the Maharashtra government has sought action against controversial 2008-batch IRS officer Sameer Wankhede.

Referring to the Bombay High Court verdict granting him bail last year, state Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said the decision of the judiciary has come.

“There was no truth in the allegation against Aryan Khan and that is why (now) his name has been removed from the chargesheet,” he said.

“I think that the Centre has also taken cognizance of this whole matter….There is also information about action against the concerned officer. If anyone is falsely implicating an innocent person, then action should be taken against them. I think action will be taken against Sameer Wankhede,” said Walse-Patil, a senior NCP leader.

It may be recalled, Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik, who is currently in jail in an Enforcement Directorate case, had carried out a series of "exposes" on Wankhede.

Among other things, Malik had alleged that Wankhede had submitted a forged caste certificate and got the post reserved for a scheduled caste when he was a Muslim by birth. He had also alleged that Wankhede is the owner of a bar in Navi Mumbai and he received the licence for the bar when he was only 17 years old.

Wankhede was accused of making fake raids by arranging fake witnesses to extort money.

“We have always maintained that the NCB is a very credible organisation having impeccable track record but the way things were happening in recent times put question marks on the conduct of the organisation,” said NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Bharat Tapase.

Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that Malik deserves appreciation for "exposing" Wankhede.

Asked whether he would seek action, he said, “'Why should we demand? Can't the government see how he implicated a young boy in a false drug case and destroyed his life. The boy was jailed for a month. Is this justice?’’

Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said, “Questions still unanswered. It was clear that some NCB officials were involved in a big extortion racket. There was a serious violation of procedures in the NCB handbook in the drugs on cruise case".