'Neither Demanded Nor Accepted Bribe From SRK': Sameer Wankhede To Bombay HC

Mumbai, 23: Sameer Wankhede on Monday told the Bombay High Court that he neither demanded nor accepted any bribe from actor Shah Rukh Khan in connection with the arrest of his son Aryan Khan in the 2021 Cordelia cruise drugs case.

A bench headed by the Chief Justice was hearing a petition filed by the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer seeking quashing of an FIR registered against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May 2023 on charges of corruption and bribery.

No evidence of bribery, says defence

His advocate, Aabad Ponda, argued that there is no material on record to substantiate the allegations. “Wankhede had never demanded or took bribe from Shah Rukh Khan,” he told the court, adding that the CBI lacks evidence to prove any such claim.

According to the CBI FIR, Wankhede and others allegedly demanded Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan in exchange for giving a clean chit to Aryan Khan in the drugs case. However, Ponda contended that the investigation agency has failed to establish any demand or receipt of money.

NCB action and court proceedings

He further submitted that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had acted on a tip-off regarding alleged drug consumption aboard the Cordelia cruise ship, and that the subsequent search and arrests — including that of Aryan Khan — were conducted in accordance with law.

The high court, after hearing preliminary arguments, indicated that it would continue hearing the matter on Tuesday.

CBI case and subsequent probes

Following a complaint by the NCB, the CBI booked Wankhede and others under charges of criminal conspiracy and threat of extortion under the Indian Penal Code, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Aryan Khan was arrested on October 2, 2021, in the high-profile drugs-on-cruise case but was later given a clean chit by the NCB, which filed a chargesheet against 14 other accused.

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The controversy deepened after an “independent witness” alleged that Rs 25 crore was demanded by an NCB official and others, including Kiran Gosavi, to secure Aryan Khan’s release. This led to an internal vigilance probe by the NCB, the findings of which were shared with the CBI, culminating in the FIR against Wankhede.

Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate also initiated a money laundering probe based on the CBI case.

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