Sameer Wankhede in New Delhi (Express photo by Praveen Khanna) The Thane unit of the state excise department recently issued a showcause notice to the bar owned by NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede in Vashi, Navi Mumbai.
Thane district’s Superintendent of Excise, Nilesh Sangde, said, “We have issued a notice in this case for breach of licence conditions and the owners – Wankhedes — will have to appear before the collector of Thane for a hearing soon.”
An initial investigation by the local excise department indicated that on the day Sameer Wankhede was granted a licence for the bar and restaurant on October 27, 1997, he was 17 years old whereas the minimum stipulated age is 21. As a result, the possibility of the licence being revoked is not ruled out, sources said.
According to reports, the excise department has sent a letter to the Thane collector and Thane excise superintendent to take action as per provisions of the law in view of the finding. Under Section 54 of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, the authority has powers to revoke the permit.
NCP leader and cabinet minister Nawab Malik had earlier alleged that Wankhede was holding the licence for Hotel Sadguru in Vashi in his name since October 1997. Sameer’s father, Dnyandev Wankhede, was an officer in the excise department. Malik said that Sameer was not even 18 years old then, in spite of which he got the licence to run the restaurant.
Malik had said he would write to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the state excise department and other concerned departments regarding the issue.
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