The Bombay High Court on Monday took up the plea filed by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede seeking to quash an FIR registered against him by the Maharashtra Excise Department concerning a cancelled liquor licence. During the hearing, a division bench comprising Justices A S Gadkari and R R Bhonsale directed Wankhede to submit a copy of the now-cancelled licence, which was initially issued in his mother’s name and allegedly included him as a minor. The bench also issued a fresh notice to the Excise Inspector who had lodged the FIR, noting that the officer may no longer hold the same post.
The case revolves around a liquor licence for a Navi Mumbai restaurant. Authorities claim Wankhede’s name was added as a partner when he was underage, with the licence subsequently cancelled in 2022, prompting the FIR. Wankhede’s counsel, senior advocates Aabad Ponda and Rizwan Merchant, argued that the FIR was politically motivated and legally baseless. They highlighted that Wankhede, then just months short of turning 18, had signed an affidavit related to the licence and had already been granted interim protection from coercive action in 2022. Ponda further alleged that the FIR was part of a campaign by NCP leader Nawab Malik, following Wankhede’s earlier arrest of Malik’s son-in-law in his capacity as Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau.
The court examined the FIR and questioned Wankhede’s exact age at the time of his alleged inclusion in the licence. Ponda clarified that Wankhede was above 17 and the licence was originally valid under his mother’s name. When asked to produce a copy of the licence, the bench emphasised that it was Wankhede’s responsibility to submit it.
The hearing was adjourned for two weeks, with the court awaiting submission of the cancelled licence and responses from the Excise Inspector named in the petition.
