NCB cruise case: Accused seeks access to ‘original’ info note referred to by SET
Nupur Satija, an accused in the cruise case, filed the plea on Thursday, seeking directions for the original note to be brought on record. The complaint filed by Mumbai zonal unit of NCB states that information was received on October 2, 2021, at 7.30 am about the cruise liner.
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In his rejoinder filed before Bombay High Court as part of his petition against action by CBI, Wankhede has referred to this information note, too. He said that SET 'falsely projected' that the list had 27 names and 'wrongly claimed' that it was modified.
AN ACCUSED in the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB)’s cruise drugs raid case approached a special court on Thursday seeking production of the original information note wherein allegedly names of 27 persons suspected of carrying drugs were listed before it was modified to ten names, including that of Aryan Khan, son of actor Shahrukh Khan.
The note was referred to by the Special Enquiry Team (SET), which took over investigation in the case from the Mumbai zonal unit, which was headed then by Sameer Wankhede. The SET had claimed that the list brought on record by the Mumbai team had only ten names and that it was modified from the original list of 27 persons who were allowed to go on October 2, 2021. It was alleged that the names of Aryan and his friend Arbaaz Merchant, were added to the modified list by the Mumbai unit.
Nupur Satija, an accused in the cruise case, filed the plea on Thursday, seeking directions for the original note to be brought on record. The complaint filed by Mumbai zonal unit of NCB states that information was received on October 2, 2021, at 7.30 am about the cruise liner. “As per the informer, the following persons were participating in the event as guests and were carrying drugs with them. They have concealed drugs in their baggage. clothes and accessories,” it said. The list mentioned ten persons including Aryan and Merchant, and added that there were other unknown persons.
On October 25, 2021, the SET was formed to conduct an inquiry into allegations against NCB Mumbai officials, which said that the initial note had 27 names and they were dropped and modified to ten names. Satija’s plea refers to the case filed by CBI against then officials of NCB’s Mumbai unit under Prevention of Corruption Act, and states that since the information note referred to in the FIR is also part of the drugs case, it should be brought on record. Provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act mandates that the officer investigating a drugs case must take down information received in writing. The information note is an important part of the case. The plea states that hence the original note should not be suppressed. The court has asked NCB to respond to the plea.
In his rejoinder filed before Bombay High Court as part of his petition against action by CBI, Wankhede has referred to this information note, too. He said that SET ‘falsely projected’ that the list had 27 names and ‘wrongly claimed’ that it was modified.
The rejoinder states the information note referred to by SET is in the format of a picture taken of a phone containing the alleged 27 names, and it is unsigned, without any file noting, and is not in the proper format of an information note. Wankhede’s rejoinder says the presumption that the note was the original information note is not true and it cannot be treated as admissible evidence.
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