PremiumAryan Khan case: HC slams Sameer Wankhede for leaking WhatsApp chats with Shah Rukh Khan, stays his arrest till June 8
While the former zonal director of NCB got relief, the HC reprimanded him for leaking alleged WhatsApp chats between him and Shah Rukh Khan
Shak Rukh Khan and Aryan Khan; (right) Sameer Wankhede
Last Updated: 10.19 AM, May 23, 2023
Former zonal director of the NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau), Sameer Wankhede, has been making headlines after being booked by the CBI for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan for not framing his son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case.
To clear his name, Wankhede had produced WhatsApp chats that he claimed were between him and Shah Rukh to the Bombay High Court and said that the Bollywood superstar had called him an "upright officer".
The CBI, however, said that Wankhede's leak of the chats to the media could affect the investigation in the ongoing case and that the evidence could also be tampered with.
The HC then reprimanded Wankhede for leaking the chats.
However, the HC granted the former anti-drugs officer a reprieve by staying his arrest until June 8.
The HC added that Wankhede will have to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the CBI whenever the investigative agency asks for it.
Speaking about the leak of the WhatsApp chats, Wankhede's lawyer argued that the chats weren't leaked to the media and that they were part of the former officer's petition after he was accused of extorting money from SRK.
The CBI countered that the chat does not prove Wankhede's innocence.
We at OTTplay cannot verify the authenticity of the alleged chats. It should be noted that Shah Rukh's legal team has not responded to the leaked messages.
The NCB had arrested Aryan and 17 others from a Cordelia ship in October 2021, accusing them of possessing narcotic drugs.