Aryan Khan bail hearing: Arguments to continue today

Aryan Khan was arrested on October 3. File pic/Atul Kamble

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on the bail plea of Aryan Khan by one more day. While the defence concluded its argument, the Narcotics Control Bureau will present its side today. At the same time, a five-member vigilance team from the NCB began its probe into the allegations of bribery against NCB's Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede in the drugs-on-cruise case.

Aryan Khan's lawyer told the HC that his arrest in the drugs-on-cruise case was a direct infringement of constitutional guarantees and the counsel of a co-accused claimed conspiracy charge was invoked as an afterthought. On Wednesday, judges heard the bail applications of Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha where the defence - Mukul Rohatgi, Amit Desai and Ali Kashif Khan Deshmukh - concluded their arguments. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh will argue for the NCB today. The HC will take up the bail pleas after 2.30 pm.

NCB's Deputy DG Gyaneshwar Singh at Mumbai airport on Wednesday. Pic/Sameer Markande

In another development, the NCB started a vigilance investigation against Wankhede. It will be led by the agency's Deputy Director-General Gyaneshwar Singh.
Through an affidavit and a video message, Prabhakar Sail, a panch witness and the personal bodyguard of another witness Kiran P Gosavi, has accused Wankhede of corruption. Earlier, a court had declined to issue a blanket order restraining other courts from taking cognisance of the affidavit.

"Our five-member team reached Mumbai today and we have started our probe related to the allegations levelled in the affidavit. We have taken certain documents from the Mumbai NCB office and the process of recording the statements of people concerned has just started. Since it is a sensitive matter, I cannot reveal each and every detail," said DDG Singh.

Sameer Wankhede

An NCB officer said, "We have recorded Sameer Wankhede's statement but we want to record the statement of the complainant. Both the witnesses are not traceable. The inquiry would not be complete without Sail's statement." The official said NCB teams could not find Sail at his places. "Sail should appear before us not before any other agency as it is an independent probe set up after his claims." Sail has two more days to appear before the vigilance team.

The anti-drugs ordered a vigilance probe after Sail's affidavit talked of extortion by Gosavi and one Sam D'Souza from actor Shah Rukh Khan's manager Pooja Dadlani to let Aryan Khan go. Sail also said that he had overheard a conversation where Gosavi talked of a demand of Rs 25 crore before settling at Rs 18 crore. Sail said he heard that R8 crore would go to Wankhede and the rest will be distributed among the others. During Aryan Khan's bail hearing on Tuesday, the NCB alleged that Dadlani was trying to influence the witnesses by meeting them.

The NCB's vigilance team will also record Sail's statement on his allegations that he was asked to sign on a blank paper by Wankhede.

Malik fires more missiles

Stepping up his attacks, state minority minister Nawab Malik has shared the nikahnama of Wankhede, claiming that he is a Muslim and had married a Muslim woman as per Islamic rituals. His father is also a Muslim as the nikahnama carries his name as Dawood Wankhede, said the minister.

"I want to make it clear that the issue I am exposing of Sameer Dawood Wankhede is not about his religion. I want to bring to light the fraudulent means by which he has obtained a caste certificate to get an IRS job and has deprived a deserving Scheduled Caste person of his future," Malik said.

Maulana Mujammil Ahmed from Lokhandwala mosque who performed Wankhede's nikah in 2006 told the media that the officer had categorically told that he was a Muslim. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have read the prayers for nikah. He clearly said that he belongs to a Muslim family and his father is also a Muslim as mentioned in the nikahnama which was performed in front of witnesses but now he is lying," he told the press.

Family defends officer

Wankhede's family also came out in his defence, with his father Dyandev Wankhede sharing a certificate under the Special Marriage Act and saying he doesn't know why his name was mentioned as Dawood in the nikahnama.

Wankhede's wife Kranti Redkar Wankhede too back her husband. She said, "My mother-in-law was a Muslim and Sameer used to love her so much, just for her happiness nikah was performed and everything written on the nikahnama was as per my mother-in-law's wish. Sameer was already in service before this nikah so there is no question on his caste certificate which the minister is claiming. His grandfather had it 50 years ago," Redkar told mid-day.