MUMBAI, July 9 -- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday told the Bombay high court that it will complete its probe into the bribery case against Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede within three months. The IRS officer had approached the court in May 2023, seeking directions to quash the first information report (FIR) registered against him by the CBI following allegations of bribery in the Cordelia drugs bust case. On October 3, 2021, when Wankhede was zonal director with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the agency seized drugs on board the Cordelia cruise ship and arrested several persons including Shah Rukh's son Aryan Khan. After Aryan was granted bail by the high court, allegations about Wankhede trying to extort Rs.25 crore from Shah Rukh Khan for not implicating his son surfaced. The NCB conducted an internal probe, based on which the CBI registered an FIR against Wankhede on May 11, 2022. On May 19, 2023, the Delhi high court granted interim protection to Wankhede from any coercive action. The IRS officer moved the Bombay high court in the same month, seeking directions to quash the FIR. He claimed in his petition that the sanction obtained from the NCB to proceed against him under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act was not proper as the agency did not have authority to grant such sanction. On Tuesday, the division bench of justices Ravindra Gughe and MM Sathaye expressed displeasure over the prolonged delay in investigation and questioned the CBI sternly. "In how many years do you plan to finish the investigation - 10 years, 20 years?" they asked. Senior advocate Aabad Ponda, representing Wankhede, objec-ted to the repeated delays, saying the case, stalled for nearly two years, was affecting his client's career. "His promotion remains on hold," Ponda submitted. When the CBI's counsel, advocate Kuldeep Patil, requested time to seek instructions, the court noted that this had become a habitual excuse and demanded a definitive timeline. Patil then informed the court that the investigation would be completed within three months. Following the CBI's assurance, the court admitted Wankhede's petition and extended the interim protection earlier granted to him, shielding him from any coercive action. The court also permitted the CBI to file a chargesheet against him during the pendency of his petition, but only after the court's prior permission....