Bombay HC grants Sameer Wankhede interim protection till Feb 28

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted former Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede interim protection till February 28 in connection with an alleged forgery case on a complaint by the Maharashtra excise department.

Thane's Kopri Police Station has summoned Wankhede to appear before it today at 11 am.

Meanwhile, Wankhede has moved the Bombay High Court seeking quashing of FIR by Thane Police against alleged fraudulent bar licence. The court has fixed the hearing in the matter on February 22.

He had moved another petition in the Bombay High Court seeking restoration of cancelled bar licence by Thane Collector.

An FIR was filed against Wankhede on Sunday for forgery in Mumbai's Thane for allegedly obtaining a licence for a hotel by willful misrepresentation of his age, said the Kopri police on Sunday.

The action was taken following the complaint of State Excise Department official Shankar Gogavale who alleged that Wankhede was below 18 years of age in 1996-97 while obtaining a licence for Sadguru Bar in the city.

Thane collector had issued an order to cancel the licence of the bar.

As per the FIR, the former zonal NCB director was not eligible to do these agreements but he claimed to be a major on a stamp paper in his agreement deed for Sadguru Hotel of Thane.