New Delhi: In a major relief for Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede, the Delhi High Court on Thursday upheld a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order directing the Centre to promote him to the post of Joint Commissioner, if found eligible.
Wankhede is currently serving as Additional Commissioner in the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. He came into national spotlight in 2021 after leading the Mumbai NCB’s high-profile arrest of Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, in a drug-related case.
HC Dismisses Centre’s Appeal
A division bench comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Madhu Jain dismissed the Centre’s appeal against the CAT’s earlier directive dated April 17, 2024. The tribunal had ordered that if Wankhede’s name is recommended by UPSC, he should be promoted with retrospective effect from January 1, 2021.
The High Court observed that–
“As of now, there are no pending departmental proceedings where any chargesheet has been issued against the officer. He has not been suspended, nor has any chargesheet in a criminal prosecution been filed.”
Accordingly, the court directed the Centre to comply with the CAT’s order within four weeks.
CAT Had Granted Interim Relief Earlier
The Delhi High Court’s decision follows an interim stay granted by CAT on August 27, halting the departmental enquiry against Wankhede. The enquiry had been initiated over alleged “omissions and commissions” in his investigation of the Aryan Khan case.
Mr Wankhede has also been under the scanner of central agencies, including:
- CBI, which is probing money laundering charges in a case lodged in 2023
- ED, in a parallel case
However, no chargesheets have been filed yet. The Bombay High Court had earlier granted the CBI three months (from July 2025) to complete its probe.
Background: Aryan Khan Case and Fallout
Sameer Wankhede gained national attention for leading the NCB raid in 2021 that led to the arrest of Aryan Khan on alleged drug possession charges. Aryan was later cleared of all charges by the NCB in 2022, after a special investigation team found lapses in the probe.
The fallout led to multiple allegations and counter-allegations, eventually resulting in internal probes and vigilance inquiries against Wankhede, including the current CBI and ED investigations.
