Delhi HC rejects Sameer Wankhede's defamation plea against Aryan Khan’s The Bads of Bollywood

Sameer Wankhede, a former officer of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), has alleged that portions of the series are defamatory and seek to damage his reputation.

• Delhi High Court rejected IRS officer's plea against Red Chillies and Netflix
• Wankhede alleged defamation in Netflix series The Bads of Bollywood
• Court reserved order after hearing arguments on jurisdiction and maintainability

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The Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected the plea filed by the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer against Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s production house Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd and OTT platform Netflix over his alleged defamatory portrayal in the web series The Bads of Bollywood by Sameer Wankhede.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, after hearing all parties, identified two key issues to be decided at the interim stage and reserved the order, which is scheduled to be pronounced tomorrow.

The court had earlier deferred its decision on Wankhede's request for interim relief, in which he sought directions against Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix to remove certain scenes from the series.

Sameer Wankhede, a former officer of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), has alleged that portions of the series are defamatory and seek to damage his reputation. The suit specifically concerns Episode 1 of the series, between timestamps 32:02 and 33:50, where a character is depicted who, according to Wankhede, closely resembles him in appearance, conduct, and mannerisms.

Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix opposed the plea, arguing that the Delhi High Court lacked territorial jurisdiction to hear the matter.

Senior advocates Neeraj Kishan Kaul for Red Chillies and Rajiv Nayyar for Netflix submitted that the suit should have been filed in Mumbai, as Wankhede’s residence and Red Chillies’ registered office are both located there.

They further contended that the series is a fictional and satirical work set during a Bollywood success party and does not recreate the Cordelia cruise raid. Netflix also argued that merely because the series is directed by Aryan Khan, with whom Wankhede had prior interactions, this does not establish malice or justify the removal of content.

Also read: Delhi HC to pass verdict on January 29 in Sameer Wankhede's defamation suit on Aryan Khan directorial Bads of Bollywood

Representing Wankhede, senior advocate Jai Sai Deepak argued that the suit was maintainable in Delhi as the main impact of the alleged defamation was felt in the capital. He submitted that departmental proceedings against Wankhede are based in Delhi, several media interactions took place in the city after the series’ release, and both Red Chillies and Netflix carried out substantial promotional activities in Delhi.

The Netflix series was created, co-written, and directed by Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan. Aryan Khan was arrested by Wankhede during an NCB raid on a cruise ship in 2021, though he and five others were later exonerated by the agency in 2022.