Delhi HC Upholds CAT Order to Promote IRS Officer Sameer Wankhede to Joint Commissioner
The Delhi High Court has upheld the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) December 2024 order, directing the Centre to promote Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede to the post of Joint Commissioner (JC) of Customs and Indirect Taxes , provided he is found eligible by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Background: Wankhede’s Role in Aryan Khan Drug Case Sameer Wankhede, a 2008-batch IRS officer, served as the Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai and gained national attention in October 2021 when he supervised the high-profile arrest of Aryan Khan , son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan , in a drugs-on-cruise case. However, in July 2023 , Wankhede himself came under scrutiny after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated probes into allegations that he demanded a ₹25 crore bribe from Shah Rukh Khan in exchange for not implicating Aryan Khan in the case. Sealed Cover Proc...