Mumbai, Jan 21: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Principal Bench, on Monday set aside the disciplinary charge memorandum issued against Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede, holding that the action was vitiated by mala fides, procedural impropriety and abuse of power.
In doing so, the Tribunal made strong observations touching upon the handling of the 2021 Cordelia Cruise drug case involving Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan.
Tribunal order
A Bench comprising Justice Ranjit More (Chairman) and Rajinder Kashyap (Member–Administrative) set aside Charge Memorandum No. 30/2025 dated August 18, 2025, issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), and restrained the authorities from proceeding further against Wankhede on its basis.
Wankhede’s submissions
Wankhede, former Mumbai Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), contended that he was being targeted after the arrest of Aryan Khan in the Cordelia Cruise case on October 2, 2021.
According to him, former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik launched a campaign of defamation, making allegations against his integrity, caste and family, all of which were later found to be baseless by multiple authorities, including the Bombay High Court.
Allegations over charge sheet
Significantly, Wankhede relied on recorded call transcripts of then NCB Deputy Legal Adviser Japan Babu, claiming they revealed that file notings in the Cordelia case were altered and Aryan Khan’s name was deliberately dropped from the charge sheet. It was alleged that the charge sheet was prepared “from outside” to grant Aryan Khan a clean chit, despite internal objections.
CAT’s observations
The Tribunal noted that the impugned charge memorandum conspicuously omitted these crucial allegations and transcripts, even though they formed the very foundation of both the departmental action and the pending criminal proceedings. It observed that the same material was already under judicial scrutiny before the Bombay High Court in a CBI case against Wankhede.
Holding that the charge memorandum cited no witnesses and contained vague, omnibus allegations, the CAT said the inquiry would be a “mere farcical show” with a predetermined outcome.
It further held that compelling Wankhede to disclose his defence in departmental proceedings, when identical issues relating to the Aryan Khan case were pending before the High Court, would irreversibly prejudice his defence.
Retaliation and promotion angle
“The chain of events unmistakably demonstrates that the impugned charge memorandum bears no real nexus with the purported allegations but appears to be retaliation,” the Tribunal said, adding that the action appeared aimed at stalling Wankhede’s promotion.
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While refraining from imposing costs, the CAT expressed hope that the authorities would “mend their ways” and uphold the rule of law.
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