Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director of Mumbai, Sameer Wankhede informed the Bombay High Court that he will be withdrawing his plea in the Excise Department issue and will be filing it afresh.
This is because the State Excise Commissioner had dismissed his appeal challenging an order passed by the Thane Excise Collector cancelling the liquor license of his restaurant and bar in Navi Mumbai.
After the liquor license was cancelled, he had filed an appeal before the collector and had also filed a plea in the High Court. While the plea in the High Court was pending, the appeal before the commissioner was rejected on June 16.
Wankhede’s plea had contended that action initiated against him was vindictive as he had arrested Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik’s son-in-law in a drugs case when he was in NCB. The action was taken against him by the state Excise Department and the police were under “political pressure”. As per the petition, the license was granted in October 1997 and was renewed time and again till 2021.
The allegation against Wankhede was that he was a minor when he got the liquor license. However, Wankhede stated that he cannot be blamed for not disclosing his age, since the rules do not prescribe the age while applying for the FL III (foreign liquor) license, and the application form does not provide for disclosure of his age.
