New Delhi, Dec 20 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Saturday heard the plea filed by the Centre in the promotion matter of IRS officer Sameer Dnyandev Wankhede, and directed the Central Administrative Tribunal to continue with the proceedings while deferring the personal appearance of the chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
A bench comprising Justice P S Narasimha and Justice Atul S Chandurkar listed the matter for further hearing on January 8, 2026.
The Court permitted the CAT to proceed with the hearing, including the contempt proceedings, but postponed the mandatory personal presence of the CBIC Chairman before the Tribunal.
The SLP arises from orders passed by the CAT allowing consideration of Wankhede’s promotion and the subsequent dismissal of the union government’s writ petition and review petition by the Delhi High Court. The High Court had also imposed costs of Rs 20,000 on the Centre in the review proceedings.
The core dispute relates to the union government’s reliance on the sealed cover procedure to withhold Wankhede’s promotion.
The Delhi High Court had held that the sealed cover method could not be invoked in the absence of a charge sheet or a pending criminal case and upheld the CAT’s direction to process the promotion in accordance with law.
Sameer Wankhede is a 2008-batch IRS officer and has previously served as Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai.
Solicitor General of India appeared for the union of India, while Senior Advocate Paramjit Singh Patwalia, along with Advocate Jatin Parashar, represented Sameer Wankhede.
