New Delhi, Jan. 20 -- The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Principal Bench, New Delhi, has held that the disciplinary proceedings initiated against IRS officer Sameer Wankhede are legally unsustainable, as the charge memorandum issued to him was founded on material drawn from a preliminary enquiry whose use had already been barred by judicial orders.

The Tribunal ruled that the authorities acted contrary to settled law and binding court directions by proceeding on such material.

In its order pronounced on January 19, 2026, the CAT examined the challenge mounted by Wankhede to the Charge Memorandum dated August 18, 2025. The Tribunal found that the charge sheet was "premised upon" evidence and findings of a Special Enquiry Team (SE...