The Bombay High Court has granted interim relief to former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede in connection with departmental inquiries into alleged irregularities in two drug-related investigations.
A division bench admitted Wankhede's petition challenging multiple notices issued by the NCB between November 2023 and March 2024. The notices required him to appear before the agency as part of preliminary inquiries into his handling of two cases, including one linked to the investigation that followed the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Pending the final hearing of the petition, the High Court directed that Wankhede should not be summoned for questioning in the departmental inquiries.
The NCB told the court that the inquiries were initiated after receiving anonymous complaints alleging serious procedural irregularities in the investigations. Wankhede, however, argued that the proceedings were motivated by personal and political vendetta. He claimed the action against him stemmed from pressure exerted by former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, with whom he has had previous legal and public disputes.
The court has admitted the matter for detailed hearing, while continuing interim protection for Wankhede until the case is finally decided. The petition does not address the merits of the allegations, which remain under inquiry.
Wankhede, a 2008-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, headed the Mumbai unit of the NCB during several high-profile drug investigations, including the 2020 Bollywood drug probe.
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