Plea In Bombay High Court Seeks Dismissal Of Sameer Wankhede From Civil Services For Alleged Fabrication Of SC Certificate

Sameer Wankhede was overseeing the cruise drugs case involving Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan - before allegations of extortion surfaced.

The case was then transferred to the NCB's Special Investigations Team, Delhi.

According to the plea, Wankhede hid that he is a Muslim, born to Muslim parents Dawood and Zaheeda Bano and joined the Indian Revenue Services (IRS) in the SC category.

"Sameer Wankhede has obtained caste certificate by suppression his religion and obtained the caste certificate to get IRS Job in fraudulent way and he has deprived as deserving scheduled caste person, therefore he is not entitled to continue his Civil service from the schedule caste quota. He is also liable to get punishment for fraud and giving false information to the government to obtain IRS Job."

The petition filed by Ashok Mahadev Kamble, who claims to be a social worker, states that the Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee should verify Wankhede's caste and religious claims and take criminal action accordingly.

"This Hon'ble Court be Please to direct Respondent No. 1 & 2 (UOI and Union Public Service Commission) to revoke, cancel appointment of Mr Sameer Wankhede by dismissing him from the Civil Service after verifying caste and religion with further direction to take criminal action directing the Respondent No. 5 by filling Criminal Case against Mr Sameer Wankhede for misleading and providing false information to the Public Servant," the plea filed through advocate Nitin Satpute further states.

The plea alleges that Sameer's father, Dawood/ Dhyandev Wankhede, originally from the Scheduled caste Mahar community, couldn't have married a Muslim woman without changing his religion.

Therefore when Dawood @ Dhyandev Kachruji Wankhede married Zaheeda Bano, after converting himself to a Muslim, he did not remain a member of the Scheduled Caste.

"That Constitution (Schedule Caste) order 1950 is very much clear. If the person is converting himself (Hindu, Sikh & Boudha) in to any other religion, he loses the Status of a Scheduled caste member. He will not get benefits from the scheduled caste category."

The petitioner relies on Wankhede's birth certificate, which State Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik published on Twitter. It further cites Wankhede's primary school leaving certificate from 1986, which allegedly shows his religion as Muslim and his father's name as Dawood Wankhede.

According to the plea, a school leaving certificate issued by his second school – St Josephs High School- in 1989 also shows his religion as Muslim. It, however, points out that suddenly Wankhede's SSC board examination certificate, from 1995, does not mention any religion but mentions 'Mahar' in the caste category.

The plea cites a declaration from 1993 where Wankhede's father changed his name from Dawood to Dhyandev. It contends that Sameer's father changed in his son's birth certificate only to secure a college admission in the Scheduled Caste quota.

"There is no change in the religion of the New-born (Sameer Wankhede) on the basis of the said declaration, the sub-registrar corrected his name to 'Dhyandev Kachruji Wankhede' in the Birth Certificate and father name has been corrected as only to get College Admission from the Scheduled Caste student quota. The said changes were made from Dawood to Dnyandeo only obtain Caste Certificate as member of Schedule Caste to secure job in civil services."

The petition states that in 2008 Sameer's grandfather applied for a caste certificate for his father Dawood/ Dnyandeo, who retired as the Senior Police Inspector from the Excise department. In 2007 Sameer Wankhede appeared for the UPSC Exam from the Scheduled Caste quota and married his first wife, a Muslim, in 2006.

The plea therefore prays for directions for Wankhede's caste claims to be verified; recover all benefits received by Sameer Wankhede during Civil Service and also to recover all salary and benefits received by him with 18% interest; stop his salary and other benefits in the interim and lastly Wankhede's appointment with the 'Indian Revenue Service' to be declared null and void.

In a related development, the Bombay High Court is set to pass orders tomorrow on an interim application filed by Sameer Wankhede's father -Dhyandev- to restrain Nawab Malik from posting further defamatory statements against the Wankhedes.