Mumbai: NCB Appoints CVO To Probe Allegations Against Deputy Director General

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has appointed an independent officer to probe the allegations against its deputy director general Gyaneshwar Singh in relation to alleged irregularities while on duty, including improper disposal of the seized narcotic drugs.

A bench of justice Revati Mohite- Dere and Prithviraj Chavan was informed on Monday that Chief Vigilance Officer Monika Batra was appointed to probe the allegation made by a city journalist against Singh. 

The HC was hearing a plea by the journalist seeking a CBI probe against Singh.

Advocate Niranjan Mundargi, appearing for the journalist, told the bench that they recently received a communication stating that a CVO was appointed  to probe the allegations levelled  by the petitioner. In view of this, Mundargi sought to withdraw the petition. 

The bench allowed him to withdraw the Petition  and granted  liberty to approach the court again in case of any other grievance. 

There are specific rules for the disposal of the seized narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances under the NDPS Act. It mandates that the chairman and the members of the drug disposal committee has to physically examine and verify the weight and other details of seized material in reference to the seizure report. The plea highlighted the instances of raids undertaken by the NCB at Lucknow, Delhi, Indore and Jammu simultaneously on March 3, 2023. Singh was personally present in Delhi, however, he signed the drug disposal orders for all the four locations.

The petitioner claimed to have sent a letter to the NCB. but no action has been taken, hence he approached the HC.

Singh had headed the SIT probing allegations against former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede, in relation to the arrest of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in Cordelia Cruise drug bust case. Wankhede then filed a plea in HC alleging that he was booked in an alleged money laundering case  due to “counter blast” to his complaint against Singh, deputy director general with NCB.