CAT Quashes Charge Sheet Against Sameer Wankhede – Finds CBIC Acted With Malice
CAT quashes disciplinary charge against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, finds CBIC actions malicious and biased.
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Monday quashed the disciplinary charge framed against Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). The tribunal also restrained the authorities from taking any further action based on the impugned charge memorandum, granting Wankhede all consequential benefits as per law.
A bench comprising Justice Ranjit More, Chairman of CAT, and Rajinder Kashyap, Member (Administrative), allowed Wankhede’s challenge to Charge Memorandum No. 30/2025 dated August 18, 2025. The tribunal held that the charge sheet was unsustainable and set it aside in its entirety, noting that continuing the proceedings would amount to unnecessary harassment.
In strong observations, the CAT criticised the CBIC for acting in a biased manner and held that the issuance of the charge memorandum appeared to be motivated by malice. The tribunal said the inquiry would have been a “mere farcical show” with a predetermined outcome, warranting judicial intervention at an early stage to prevent further humiliation of the officer.
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The tribunal further observed that the sequence of events suggested the charge memorandum was retaliatory in nature and intended to stall Wankhede’s promotion. It termed the CBIC’s conduct as a “colourable exercise of power” driven by personal vendetta, lacking any real nexus with the allegations mentioned in the charge sheet.
While the CAT said it was inclined to impose costs on the CBIC for its conduct, it refrained from doing so, expressing hope that the authority would correct its approach and uphold the rule of law. Wankhede, a 2008-batch IRS officer, had earlier served as Mumbai Zonal Director of the NCB and was associated with the high-profile Cordelia cruise drug case, following which he challenged subsequent actions against him before the tribunal.
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