Cordelia bribery case: CBI court refuses interim protection to Sam D'Souza

A special CBI court here on Friday refused to grant interim protection to Sanville alias Sam D'Souza in a bribery case connected to the 2021 Cordelia cruise drug bust.

He is accused of seeking a Rs 25 crore bribe from Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating the latter's son Aryan in the drug bust case.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, D’Souza had allegedly brokered a deal between Shah Rukh’s manager and a panch witness for helping Aryan in the case.

The NCB arrested Aryan on October 3, 2021 after a raid on the Cordelia cruise ship and he was granted bail by the Bombay High Court after three weeks.

The court is likely to pass an order on D'Souza's anticipatory bail plea on June 14.

Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede, who is the main accused in the case, has been granted interim protection by the Bombay High Court till June 23.

D'Souza, in his pre-arrest bail plea, claimed the contents of the FIR are ''false, frivolous and based on concocted oral fiction without proving substance of accusation”.

The plea claimed there is no complaint made by the actor or his son, and that the FIR was based on whims and fancies (of the probe agency) because if the situation as alleged by the CBI actually happened, there would be a complaint on record.

Arguing before the court on Wednesday, D'Souza's lawyer said arrest should be the last resort, something that has been reiterated by all courts.

His lawyer said D'Souza was summoned before the NCB in New Delhi in the case in which Aryan Khan was arrested and was then mentally and physically tortured for a confession when he appeared before the probe agency.

This created an apprehension in the accused that if he goes to the CBI office for questioning in the bribery case, he might be arrested, the lawyer said.

D'Souza, through his lawyer, said he was giving an undertaking that he will go (to the CBI office) tomorrow itself, but he will need some protection from arrest.

The CBI, represented by public prosecutors PKB Gaikwad and Ashish Bilgaiyan, argued the accused has not mentioned reasonable grounds that he has been falsely implicated in the case.

There is a specific allegation that he entered into a criminal conspiracy to extort Rs 25 crore from Khan, the agency's lawyers said, adding the accused has no regard for the law as had failed to join the investigation after being served notices on May 24 and 26.

Special judge S M Menjonge, after hearing both the sides, refused to grant any interim relief to the accused and posted the matter for June 14.

The CBI recently filed an FIR against Wankhede and four others, including D'Souza, for allegedly seeking Rs 25 crore bribe for not framing Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case.

Wankhede and the four others were charged under Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act provisions for criminal conspiracy, issuing extortion threats and seeking bribes based on a complaint by the NCB.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)