Former NCB Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede told the Bombay High Court he never demanded or took a bribe from Shah Rukh Khan to spare his son Aryan Khan in the 2021 cruise drugs case. Wankhede’s counsel argued the CBI has no evidence of bribery. The case, registered in May 2023, is still under HC hearing, with proceedings continuing Tuesday.

Mumbai: Former NCB Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede told the Bombay High Court on Monday that he never demanded or took a bribe from actor Shah Rukh Khan to spare his son Aryan Khan following the latter's arrest in a cruise drugs case.

Wankhede's counsel, Aabad Ponda, was arguing the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer's plea seeking to quash the FIR registered against him in May 2023 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of corruption and bribery.

Ponda told a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Suman Shyam that Wankhede never demanded or took a bribe from Shah Rukh Khan.

As per the CBI FIR, Wankhede and the other accused in the case allegedly demanded Rs 25 crore from the actor to give a clean chit to his son in the drugs case.