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Sameer Wankhede’s promotion path is paved, no one can be deprived of promotion based on mere allegations, High Court and CAT decision upheld

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Mumbai: Supreme Court refuses to interfere with Sameer Wankhede’s promotion A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Arade dismissed the appeal filed by the Central Government challenging the said order of the Delhi High Court pronounced on August 28 last year. The Supreme Court refused to interfere with Sameer Wankhede’s promotion. Sameer Wankhede, an IRS officer of the 2008 batch, gained national attention during the 2021 Cordelia Cruz case. New

The Mumbai Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere with the Delhi High Court’s order upholding the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT)’s decision to grant relief to Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede by directing the Centre to proceed with his promotion as Joint Commissioner of Customs and Indirect Taxes. A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Arade dismissed the appeal filed by the Central government challenging the said Delhi High Court order passed on August 28 last year. We are not inclined to interfere with the illegal decision and order in exercise of our jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution of India. The special leave applications are accordingly dismissed, however, the dismissal of the matter will not have any effect on any other proceedings. Pending application (pending), if no one appears in court, the High Court’s August 2025 order had upheld the CAT’s December 2024 decision, in which the government was directed to promote Wankhede to the post of Additional Commissioner of Customs and Indirect Taxes, with effect from January 1, 2021. On the recommendation of the UPSC, the tribunal had also directed that his name be appropriately placed in the seniority list of Joint Commissioners. The Centre opposed Wankhede’s promotion on the ground that several proceedings were pending against the IRS officer. These include an FIR registered by the CBI in May 2023, an ECIR registered by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and a draft charge sheet proposing a hefty fine. The complaints stem from allegations of lapses and corruption linked to the search and seizure operation of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Cordelia Cruise case, in which Wankhede was a part. Several people, including Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, were arrested in the NCB search operation on charges of drug use. It was alleged that the accused officers misused their official positions and conspired with private individuals. According to the allegations, they conspired to extort Rs 25 crore from the family of an accused in the case, later settled for Rs 18 crore, of which Rs 50 lakh was allegedly received as bribe.

Due to the above allegations against Wankhede, the report recommending his promotion was kept under sealed cover, and the promotion of the officers was stopped. However, the Delhi High Court, agreeing with the CAT, had approved the promotion of the officers while observing that, till date (August 2025), there was no departmental action pending against Wankhede, no charge sheet had been filed by the CBI or the ED, and neither had he been suspended or formally charged. The High Court had also observed that mere pendency of preliminary investigation cannot be a ground for denial of promotion. The High Court judges had said that if the allegations were really serious, the authorities had the power to suspend the officer, which they did not exercise in this case. The Supreme Court has now upheld the Delhi High Court’s decision. Sameer Wankhede, a 2008 batch IRS officer, gained national attention during his tenure as the zonal director of NCB Mumbai, especially for high-profile drug investigations like the 2021 Cordelia Cruz case. However, his tenure also witnessed significant scrutiny, political controversies and numerous complaints leading to departmental and criminal inquiries.

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Action under the ‘Pedestrian First’ initiative by the ‘G-North’ ward of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation

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To ensure the unobstructed movement of pedestrians on footpaths, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is implementing an initiative called ‘Pedestrian First’. In this regard, an enforcement drive was carried out today (October 23, 2026) in Dadar, near the ‘Late Maa Saheb Meenatai Thackeray Flower Market’ and along ‘Senapati Bapat Marg’. During this operation, 12 unauthorized structures—including temporary tarpaulin sheds and illegal platforms—were removed, and 60 hawkers obstructing the footpaths were cleared from the area. This operation was conducted by the BMC’s ‘G-North’ Ward.
Under the guidance of Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, the BMC is effectively implementing the ‘Pedestrian First’ initiative. The objective of this initiative is to clear footpaths of unauthorized hawkers and encroachments, ensuring they remain free from any obstructions.

In this context, the aforementioned action was carried out under the guidance of Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone-2) Prashant Sapkale and the leadership of Assistant Commissioner (G-North Ward) Yogesh Desai. Under this initiative, 12 unauthorized structures—including temporary sheds and illegal platforms—were removed in Dadar, near the ‘Late Maa Saheb Meena Tai Thackeray Flower Market’ and along ‘Senapati Bapat Marg’. Additionally, 60 street vendors who were obstructing the footpaths were cleared from the area. Adequate police personnel were deployed on-site during the operation.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation is taking measures to ensure that footpaths remain open and accessible to pedestrians. Consequently, the Municipal Corporation administration has issued directives prohibiting any unauthorized construction on footpaths, as well as the placement of any items that might obstruct the path for pedestrians. Strict action will be taken against any such violations.

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FDA action against ‘Delhi Zaika’ in Kurla: License suspended

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The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) conducted a raid in Kurla, Mumbai, and suspended the license of ‘Desired Food and Hospitality’ (Delhi Zaiqa), imposing a complete ban on the sale of food items and prepared dishes at the establishment. Any violation of this order will result in further action by the FDA in accordance with the Food Safety Act.

During the inspection, the FDA observed several issues: the paint or plaster on the walls, ceilings, and doors was peeling; refrigeration and freezing facilities were inadequate; doors were not properly secured against pests; and utensils and containers were not in a condition to be cleaned effectively. The flooring had cracks, lacked proper slip resistance, and had an incorrect slope. Furthermore, food items were not stored at appropriate temperatures, and the establishment failed to follow FIFO (First-In, First-Out) or FEFO (First-Expired, First-Out) inventory management practices.

Additionally, the cooking oil used was unsuitable and unmonitored. There was no segregation between raw and cooked food, or between vegetarian and non-vegetarian items. Utensils were unclean, and the food did not meet hygiene standards. Records regarding suppliers and product expiry dates were unavailable. There was poor management of food quality, alongside unsanitary conditions in the kitchen and surrounding areas, including a lack of cleaning for floors and drains. Based on these findings, the FDA has suspended the establishment’s license for violating established rules and regulations.

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Four more arrested in Tiger Shroff firing case; two women accused of supplying weapons, accused remanded to police custody till October 26.

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The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested four additional suspects—two women and two men—in connection with the firing incident involving Tiger Shroff. The arrested individuals include two women, Beeta and Radha, as well as two men, Kunal and Vijender. All four were presented before the Killa Court today, amid tight security arrangements. The police requested police custody (remand) for the suspects to facilitate further interrogation; the court granted this request and ordered that they be held in police custody until October 26. The two women are accused of supplying weapons to the shooters and assisting the other suspects. The police sought this remand to conduct further investigations, including determining whether the suspects have any links to the Bishnoi gang. So far, a total of 10 suspects have been arrested in this case. Previously, the police had arrested the shooters—Phool Singh, Rehan, and Ritik (alias Roshan)—who carried out the firing; they were apprehended by the Kota Police while traveling by train from Mumbai toward Delhi, acting on information provided by the Mumbai Police. Additionally, the Delhi Special Cell arrested six other suspects from Haryana and Delhi, including women and individuals involved in supplying weapons. The police are continuing their investigation into the matter.

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