The Delhi High Court on Friday questioned former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede over the maintainability of his defamation plea against Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix. The officer had approached the court seeking a permanent and mandatory injunction, declaration, and damages for what he described as a “false, malicious and defamatory” portrayal in the web series The Ba***ds of Bollywood.
The Ba***ds of Bollywood: Delhi High Court asks Sameer Wankhede to justify defamation plea against Netflix and Red Chillies
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav asked Wankhede to establish how his plea was maintainable in Delhi and whether any cause of action had arisen in the national capital. According to the court’s observations, jurisdiction was a key issue in deciding the admissibility of the petition.
In response, Wankhede’s counsel, senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, argued that the series was available for streaming in Delhi and had been viewed by audiences in the city, thereby impacting his client’s reputation locally. The court, however, directed Wankhede to amend his plea to specifically demonstrate how a cause of action had arisen in Delhi.
Wankhede, who rose to national prominence for leading the investigation in the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case, has sought Rs. 2 crore in damages. Interestingly, he has requested that the amount, if granted, be donated to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the treatment of cancer patients.
The plea alleged that the controversial series, reportedly produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and streamed on Netflix, was deliberately conceptualised and executed to malign Wankhede’s reputation. It further argued that the timing was prejudicial, given that related proceedings involving Wankhede and Aryan Khan are still pending before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court in Mumbai.
According to Wankhede’s claims, the show includes a character making an obscene gesture — specifically showing the middle finger after uttering the slogan “Satyamev Jayate,” which forms part of India’s National Emblem. The plea described this act as a “grave violation” of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which could attract penal consequences under Indian law.
Additionally, the petition asserted that the web series violated provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) by promoting offensive, obscene content that not only harmed his reputation but also outraged national sentiment.
With the High Court instructing Sameer Wankhede to strengthen the jurisdictional basis of his plea, the next hearing is expected to determine whether the defamation suit can proceed in Delhi. Until then, the controversy surrounding The Ba***ds of Bollywood continues to brew, placing both Netflix and Red Chillies Entertainment in the legal spotlight.
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