The Delhi High Court has permitted the Centre to continue disciplinary proceedings against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede in the 2021 Cordelia cruise drugs case. The Court set aside the CAT order that had earlier quashed the charge memorandum issued against him.
The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed the Central government to continue disciplinary proceedings against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede in connection with the 2021 Cordelia cruise drugs case. The decision came as a major development in the long-running controversy linked to the high-profile cruise ship drug bust involving actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son.
A Division Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Amit Mahajan set aside an earlier order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which had quashed the disciplinary action initiated against Wankhede.
While pronouncing the verdict, the Bench stated,
“This petition is allowed,”
thereby giving relief to the Centre and clearing the way for the inquiry to move forward. The detailed judgment is still awaited.
The Central government had approached the High Court challenging the CAT’s January 19 order. The Tribunal had earlier nullified the ‘Charge Memorandum’ issued to Wankhede on August 18, 2025, by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). The memorandum formed the basis of departmental proceedings against the officer.
Sameer Wankhede, a 2008-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, became a widely discussed figure in 2021 during his tenure with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai. He was leading the investigation into the Cordelia cruise drugs case, in which Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, was arrested.
Later, serious allegations surfaced against Wankhede. It was claimed that he had demanded ₹25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan’s family and threatened to implicate Aryan Khan in the drugs case if the amount was not paid. These allegations led to internal scrutiny and disciplinary proceedings by the revenue authorities.
Before the CAT, Wankhede filed an original application challenging the departmental inquiry started by the CBIC. He argued that the proceedings were unfair and legally unsustainable. One of the allegations against him was that after being relieved from the NCB, he attempted to obtain confidential information related to the ongoing investigation from the agency’s legal department.
It was further alleged that he sought an “assurance” from the NCB legal officer to “steer the investigation” in the probe. These claims formed a significant part of the charge memorandum issued against him.
Earlier this year, on January 12, the Delhi High Court had refused to interfere with the CAT’s interim order that had stayed the disciplinary proceedings. However, at that time, the High Court had asked the Tribunal to make “sincere efforts” to decide the main matter on 14 January or within the next 10 days.
With Friday’s ruling, the High Court has now cleared the path for the disciplinary proceedings against Sameer Wankhede to continue. The case remains closely watched, given its connection to the high-profile Cordelia cruise drugs case and the serious allegations made against the officer.
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