Supreme Court Refuses to Intervene in Sameer Wankhede Promotion Case.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to interfere with the Delhi High Court’s ruling that upheld the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) order directing the Centre to proceed with the promotion of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede as Joint Commissioner of Customs and Indirect Taxes.
A bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe dismissed the Central government’s appeal challenging the High Court order from August 28, 2025. “We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment… The Special Leave Petitions are dismissed,” the court noted.
The Delhi High Court had upheld the CAT’s December 2024 ruling, which instructed that Wankhede’s promotion to Additional Commissioner, effective January 1, 2021, be implemented, and that he be appropriately placed on the seniority list, provided his recommendation by the UPSC.
The Centre had opposed the promotion citing ongoing investigations, including an FIR by the CBI in May 2023, an Enforcement Directorate probe under the PMLA, and draft charge-sheets over alleged lapses and corruption in the 2021 Cordelia Cruise case. The case involved high-profile arrests, including Aryan Khan, and allegations of extortion and bribery linked to Wankhede’s role in the Narcotics Control Bureau operations.
The Delhi High Court and CAT found that no formal departmental proceedings or charge-sheets had been filed against Wankhede, and he was neither suspended nor charged. The HC emphasized that mere pendency of preliminary investigations cannot block promotion, noting that if allegations were grave, suspension remained an available option—one that was not exercised.
Wankhede, a 2008-batch IRS officer, came into national prominence as NCB Mumbai Zonal Director, leading major narcotics cases. While his tenure saw high-profile successes, it also drew scrutiny, controversies, and multiple inquiries, which the courts have now clarified do not preclude his promotion.
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