‘Maha govt members have declared me guilty of graft'

Sameer Wankhede has accused a minister & others of unleashing a tirade

- Swati.Deshpande @timesgroup.com

Mumbai: The HC bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and Sarang Kotwal on Thursday told the state to show some “deference” to an officer of Sameer Wankhede’s rank.

Wankhede’s petition said, “The material on record shows that members of the ruling regime/government in the state of Maharashtra, including but not limited to a sitting minister of the present state government and members of the political party (which forms part of government), have unleashed an open tirade against the petitioner and has/have already “pronounced a decision” through television interviews, Twitter and other social media that the petitioner is guilty of offences of corruption and hence any “investigation” conducted by any state agency will be vitiated by mala fides, and would be a gross abuse of the principles of a free and fair investigation, if not an institutionalized persecution by the state.”

It further said, “The mala fides, malice and ulterior motives for harming the petitioner by implicating him in false cases is reflected by the repeated statements being made by politicians, including ministers in the state government, to the extent of making wild and reckless allegations involving the family members of the petitioner, including his father and his sister.”

Senior counsel Atul Nanda, with advocate Ramiza Hakim, appearing for Wankhede, told court he is the zonal director of NCB and is investigating a case. “He is not a drug peddler,” Nanda said.