Sanville alias Sam D’Souza, a co-accused in the CBI extortion case against former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede, on Tuesday approached a sessions court seeking protection from arrest. The matter is likely to be heard today.
D’Souza had earlier moved the Bombay High Court seeking quashing of the FIR as well as protection from coercive action by the central agency. On Saturday, the HC bench had indicated that it was not inclined to give him relief and told him to approach a competent court, prompting D’Souza to approach the lower court.
D’Souza had sought parity with Wankhede, who had been given relief by the HC earlier, but the HC had differentiated. It noted thatthe NCB official was a public servant while he was a private person and said that he could not claim parity.
Opposition and Denial of Relief
The CBI opposed D'Souza's plea, highlighting the seriousness of the extortion accusations against him and emphasizing that he was a private citizen. The agency argued that each accused in the case should be treated differently. The court rejected the plea for interim relief, stating that no protection would be granted. D'Souza's lawyer then requested to withdraw the plea, which was allowed by the court.
Background of the Extortion Case
The CBI's FIR alleges that Sameer Wankhede and others demanded a bribe of Rs 25 crore from the family members of those arrested in the 2021 cruise ship drug bust case, including actor Shah Rukh Khan. D'Souza, along with Wankhede and other individuals, was named as an accused in the case.
