THE DELHI High Court on Thursday upheld a Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) order directing the Centre to promote Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede to the post of Joint Commissioner, if found eligible.
Wankhede, currently serving as Additional Commissioner in the revenue department of the Ministry of Finance, had shot to limelight when he arrested actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in 2021 while serving as Mumbai NCB zonal director.
The Delhi HC relief for Wankhede comes after the CAT, on August 27, granted an interim stay on the departmental enquiry initiated against him over his alleged omissions and commissions in investigating the case involving Aryan Khan.
Wankhede is facing CBI and ED proceedings in relation to money laundering charges, both lodged in 2023. In July, the Bombay HC granted the CBI three months to complete the probe.
The Centre had challenged an April 17 CAT order, directing it that in case Wankhede’s name is recommended by UPSC for promotion, “he shall be granted promotion to the post of Additional Commissioner w.e.f. 01.01.2021”.
A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Madhu Jain took into account that as on date there are no pending departmental proceedings against the officer where any chargesheet has been issued against him, he has not been placed under suspension nor any chargesheet in a criminal prosecution has been filed against him.
The court dismissed the Centre’s appeal, with instructions that the directions in the CAT order be “complied with within 4 weeks”.
