Wankhede Claims He Never Sought Bribe From SRK to Spare Aryan Khan
Wankhede Claims He Never Sought Bribe From SRK to Spare Aryan Khan
Former NCB official tells Bombay High Court there was no bribe demand from Shah Rukh Khan in the Aryan Khan case, as hearings resume in Mumbai.
In a fresh development in the Cordelia cruise ship drug case, former Narcotics Control Bureau Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede told the Bombay High Court on Monday that he did not demand or accept any bribe from Shah Rukh Khan in connection with the 2021 drug case involving his son Aryan Khan. Through his counsel Aabad Ponda, he asserted that there was no bribe demanded from SRK and no money paid to him, while acknowledging that some individuals were alleged to have received payments not connected to him.
His submission came as the court heard a petition by Wankhede seeking to quash an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in May 2023 on charges of corruption and bribery. The FIR is linked to a Special Enquiry Team (SET) report that looked into alleged procedural lapses by NCB officials. The counsel emphasized that the matter is for the CBI to file a chargesheet or decide the fate of the case; the bench asked for material evidence to be produced for further proceedings.
Earlier, interim protection from arrest for Wankhede had been extended by the High Court in 2025. Aryan Khan, who was arrested during the NCB raid on the Cordelia cruise ship in 2021 and later granted bail, was not named in the chargesheet by another NCB team that followed. The court adjourned the matter to March 24 as it considers the next steps in the petition.
Observers note that the hearing on Monday is part of a longer legal battle surrounding the case, and the court’s decision in the coming days could influence the ongoing investigations and any potential actions by agencies involved.
