06 July,2023 07:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Agencies
Sameer Wankhede
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday permitted IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, named as accused by the CBI in an extortion and bribery case related to the Cordelia cruise drugs case, to amend his petition to add additional ground that the giver of the alleged bribe should also be prosecuted.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case is that Wankhede, former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and four other accused had demanded Rs 25 crore bribe from actor Shah Rukh Khan for not framing his son Aryan following alleged seizure of drugs from a cruise ship.
In May this year, Wankhede approached the high court seeking to quash the case and also sought interim protection from arrest. The high court granted Wankhede interim protection from any coercive action. On Wednesday, Wankhede's lawyers Aabad Ponda, Rizwan Merchant and Sneha Sanap, sought permission from the court to amend the petition to include additional grounds pertaining to sections 7, 7A and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Under these sections, a person who offers/gives bribe to a public servant to induce him or her and gain undue advantage shall also be prosecuted.
ALSO READ
Serious allegations against Sameer Wankhede: NCB
Bombay High Court grants Sameer Wankhede relief in Sushant Rajput drug case
Won't arrest Sameer Wankhede in money laundering case till March1: ED tells HC
Mumbai: ED transfers money laundering probe against Sameer Wankhede to Delhi
Now, money laundering case put on Wankhede
A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and S G Dige permitted Wankhede to amend the plea, but said no more amendments would be permitted. The bench posted the plea for further hearing on July 20 and said the CBI should respond to the amended plea by then. The court extended the interim protection granted to Wankhede till July 20.
Wankhede and the other accused in the case have been booked under charges of criminal conspiracy and extortion threats under the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act pertaining to bribery.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever