Thane collector Rajesh Narvekar revoked the liquor license issued to Sadguru hotel and bar in Navi Mumbai, owned by former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede. According to ANI, the license was revoked because it was obtained via deliberate misrepresentation and fraud.
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The ball’s liquor license, which allowed it to serve wines, mild liquors, spirits, and fermented liquors, has been revoked. According to an India Times report, the Thane collector revoked the hotel’s license after hearing from the Thane excise superintendent and the attorney representing Wankhede.
The Collector noted that the former NCB zonal director was under the age of 18 when he obtained the license on October 27, 1997, instead of the qualifying age of 21. According to the report, Narvekar used Section 54 of the Prohibition Act to terminate the bar’s license.
According to a senior bureaucrat, the Collector signed the order yesterday, and it would be forwarded to the excise commissioner and Wankhede on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik filed a complaint with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIT) Vigilance department against Wankhede, alleging that “he owns a Premit Room and Bar Licence in his name from 1997 onwards till now.” Nawab had questioned whether a Central Government employee could legally possess and run a Permit Room and Bar Licence in his name.
The Maharashtra minister also questioned Wankhede’s ability to obtain the license, although he was underage when he was granted permission. Wankhede then confirmed receiving the license long before joining the Indian Revenue Services (IRS).
Malik and Wankhede have been feuding since Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s son, was jailed in a narcotics scandal. According to Malik, Wankhede, who leads the investigation into the Mumbai narcotics case, is a Muslim by birth.