**Bombay High Court Issues Fresh Notice to Maharashtra Excise Inspector in Sameer Wankhede FIR Case**
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday issued a fresh notice to an Inspector from the Maharashtra Excise Department while hearing a petition filed by IRS officer and former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede. Wankhede sought to quash a First Information Report (FIR) registered against him by Kopari police station in Thane, based on a complaint lodged by the state excise department.
### Court Directs Submission of Cancelled Licence
A division bench comprising Justices Ajey Gadkari and R.R. Bhonsale directed Wankhede to submit a copy of the now-cancelled liquor licence. The licence was originally issued in his mother’s name and allegedly later included Wankhede’s name as a minor.
### Allegations Regarding Licence
According to the complaint, the documents submitted in 1997 to procure the licence for selling liquor in a restaurant and bar in Navi Mumbai—purportedly in Wankhede’s name—were forged. Initially, the licence was held in his mother’s name. Authorities claim that Wankhede’s name was added as a partner while he was still a minor.
Subsequently, the licence was cancelled in 2022, following which an FIR was lodged.
### Defence and Political Angle
Senior advocates Aabad Ponda and Rizwan Merchant, representing Wankhede, argued that the complaint was motivated and lacked any legal basis. Ponda pointed out that Wankhede, just a few months shy of turning 18 years old, had signed an affidavit related to the licence, which is now being used as the basis for the FIR.
The defence counsel further alleged that the case was politically driven and filed in retaliation to arrests made by Wankhede during his tenure at the NCB. Notably, Wankhede had arrested the son-in-law of the then minorities minister affiliated with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Ajit Pawar.
Ponda claimed that following this incident, Nawab Malik launched a sustained campaign against Wankhede.
### Reference to Nawab Malik’s Legal Troubles
The defence also reminded the court that Nawab Malik himself was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and later granted bail by the Supreme Court on medical grounds.
### Interim Protection and Court Observations
Ponda submitted that the sections invoked in the FIR do not apply to Wankhede’s case. The officer had already been granted interim protection from any coercive action in 2022.
When questioned by the court, Ponda clarified that Wankhede was above 17 years old at the time—just a few months short of 18. “The licence was valid and in his mother’s name; their case is that she added his name when he was a minor,” he said.
### Next Steps: Licence Submission and Removal of Excise Officer’s Name
The court directed Ponda to submit a copy of the cancelled liquor licence. It also asked Wankhede to remove the name of the excise officer, who was included as a respondent in his personal capacity.
Following this, the court issued notice to the excise officer currently holding the post and scheduled the next hearing for two weeks later.
—
*For details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai and surrounding regions, visit: [https://budgetproperties.in/](https://budgetproperties.in/).*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/bombay-hc-issues-fresh-notice-to-excise-inspector-on-sameer-wankhedes-plea
