Sameer Wankhede moves HC for quashing of FIR, seeks restoration of cancelled liquor license

Sameer Wankhede. File Pic

Former Mumbai NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede filed two separate petitions in the Bombay High Court urging quashing of the FIR registered against him by Thane police for obtaining a liquor license for a hotel by alleged forgery and also sought restoration of the cancelled license.

Wankhede claimed that actions initiated against him were vindictive as he had arrested Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik's son-in-law in a drugs case when he was heading the Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) unit. The plea for quashing of the FIR will be heard by a division bench headed by Justice S S Shinde on Tuesday. The civil petition seeking restoration of the license will be heard by a division bench headed by Justice GS Patel on Tuesday.

In the quashing petition, Wankhede has sought interim protection from arrest. In both of the pleas, Wankhede, who is a 2008-batch IRS officer, has stated that the action taken against him is out of malice and vindictive as he, during his tenure as NCB's zonal director for Mumbai, had arrested Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik's son-in-law in a drugs case. Wankhede's advocate Vishal Thadani said the action was taken against the NCB officer by the state Excise Department and the police under political pressure.

"Hence, Mr Malik has vengeance against Wankhede and has been making false and defamatory statements against the applicant (Wankhede)," the pleas said. The FIR was registered against Wankhede by the state excise department in Thane's Kopri police station. As per the complaint, the documents submitted in 1997 for procuring the license for selling liquor in a restaurant and bar, in Wankhede's name, were forged. Wankhede was a minor (17-year-old) when the liquor license was procured in his name, the complaint said. In his petition seeking restoration of the cancelled license filed through advocate Vishal Thadani, Wankhede said that the rules in India do not specify the age for the grant of liquor license.

"The license was granted in October 1997 and has been renewed time and again till the year 2021. Then after my client (Wankhede) arrested minister Nawab Malik's son-in-law in a drugs case, the minister wrote a letter in November 2021 to the Thane excise Collector raising questions on the license," Thadani said. Pursuant to the letter, an inquiry was initiated and three show-cause notices were issued to Wankhede. "Hearing was given and then the license was cancelled. Hence, he (Wankhede) has moved the high court challenging the cancellation and seeking restoration of the license," Thadani said.

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