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The Delhi High Court questioned the maintainability of Sameer Wankhede’s defamation suit against Red Chillies Entertainment, asking why it was filed in Delhi instead of Mumbai.
Sameer Wankhede case in Delhi High Court (Photos: Social Media)
The Delhi High Court on Friday raised questions over the maintainability of a defamation suit filed by former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director and Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede against Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd., the production house owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his wife, Gauri Khan.
Wankhede had approached the court seeking relief in the form of a permanent and mandatory injunction, declaration, and damages against Red Chillies, Netflix, and others.
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During the hearing, the court expressed concerns over why the suit was filed in Delhi instead of Mumbai.
Justice Kaurav questioned, “Why file a suit in Delhi?” and directed Wankhede to amend his plea to address the maintainability issues.
The lawsuit pertains to Aryan Khan’s directorial debut show, The Ba***ds of Bollywood*, which Wankhede claims contains content that is false, malicious, and defamatory towards him.
“This series disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions,” Wankhede’s plea mentioned.
It further contended that the show was “deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign Sameer Wankhede’s reputation in a colourable and prejudicial manner,” particularly while legal proceedings involving him and Aryan Khan are ongoing before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court in Mumbai.
Referring to a particular sequence in the show that featured a character making an obscene gesture after reciting ‘Satyamev Jayate‘, the suit asserted that the act constitutes a grave and sensitive violation of the provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which attracts penal consequences under the law.
In addition, the content of the series is in contravention of various provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as it seeks to outrage national sentiment through the use of obscene and offensive material.
In his lawsuit, Sameer Wankhede sought damages of Rs 2 crore to be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the treatment of cancer patients.
The suit also sought the court’s direction to restrain the streaming and distribution of the show, along with a declaration of its defamatory nature.
Wankhede has maintained that, beyond harming his personal reputation, the content undermines faith in institutions responsible for enforcing drug laws.
ALSO READ | ‘Drug Problem Is…’: Sameer Wankhede’s Wife On The Ba***ds Of Bollywood
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
September 26, 2025, 11:37 IST
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