The CBI said Mr Wankhede deliberately leaked Shah Rukh Khan's chats to a section of the media
Sameer Wankhede, the former anti-drugs officer who arrested Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in 2021, today used alleged chats with the Bollywood megastar in his defence, citing his purported description of him as an "upright officer".
The Bombay High Court granted a reprieve to the former Narcotics Control Bureau officer and stayed his arrest till June 8, but also reprimanded Sameer Wankhede for the leak of the alleged WhatsApp chats between him and Shah Rukh Khan.
The CBI said Mr Wankhede deliberately leaked Shah Rukh Khan's chats to a section of the media and that could affect the investigation of the case. The officer could also influence the investigation and tamper with the evidence, the agency said.
Mr Wankhede's lawyer argued that he did not leak any chat to the media, that these were a part of his petition and were added because he had been accused of extorting the star to free his son.
Though Mr Wankhede had been accused of demanding money, "Shah Rukh Khan himself is calling him an upright officer", the lawyer argued.
According to the screenshot cited by the former anti-drugs officer, SRK had written to him: "God bless you. I have to come personally whenever you say and give a hug to you. Let me please know whenever it's convenient for you. Really I have always had the highest regard for your uprightness and now it has increased manifolds. Big respect. Love srk."
NDTV cannot verify the authenticity of the alleged chats, nor has Shah Rukh Khan's legal team responded to the leaked messages.
The CBI said the chat was no proof of Mr Wankhede's innocence. Since Shah Rukh Khan's son was arrested, he was asking the officer about him, the investigating agency pointed out.
The High Court said in its order that Mr Wankhede would have to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the CBI whenever needed.
The officer cannot share any information related to the case or speak to the media, the court said.
As the then zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau in Mumbai, Mr Wankhede arrested Aryan Khan on October 3, 2021, following a drugs raid on a cruise party. Last week, he submitted in the Bombay High Court screenshots of alleged chats in which Shah Rukh Khan appeared to beg him to free Aryan Khan as "he will break as a human being".
Aryan Khan was released after nearly a month in jail. Mr Wankhede is now accused by the CBI of allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore bribe from SRK to not implicate Aryan Khan.