Sameer Wankhede is 'forum shopping' says NCB, seeks dismissal of his quashing plea against preliminary enquiry

MUMBAI : The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) deputy director general Sanjay Singh in an affidavit before the Bombay high court said former zonal director Sameer Wankhede was “forum hunting" having “raised same grievance and sought identical relief before the Central Administrative Tribunal’’ and "delaying and prolonging" the inquiry initiated against him.He said a preliminary enquiry was initiated against Wankhede after “grave allegations of irregularities’’ were made against him.
The Bureau sought dismissal of a petition that Wankhede had filed for quashing the notices issued to him by his former superior officer, to join the preliminary enquiry.
Singh, in his reply submitted by NCB advocate Manisha Jagtap, He said the complaints received against Wankhede “are not at all anonymous’’ as argued by his counsel but were by actor Sapna Pabbi, and hence he can conduct the preliminary enquiry.
The enquiry was in two drugs cases that Wankhede had probed in 2020 and 2021
The 2020 case was against many including Rhea Charaborty, former girlfriend of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The case filed in 2021 is against a Nigerian national on drug peddling charges.
The HC had on April 1 restrained NCB against issuing Wankhede any further notices and on Wednesday Wankhede’s lawyer sought time to file a rejoinder to the NCB affidavit. The HC posted the matter next Thursday for a hearing.