Sameer Wankhede; Aryan Khan
NEW DELHI: Former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Sameer Wankhede, on Saturday declined to comment on the “Ba**ds of Bollywood”* series, offering only a cryptic response.Also Read | Ba***ds of Bollywood row: Ex-NCB officer Sameer Wankhede files defamation case against Shahrukh Khan production company Red Chillies Entertainment “I won’t comment on all this. I’ll just say one thing: Satyameva Jayate (truth alone triumphs),” Wankhede told news agency ANI at a drug awareness camp in Mumbai.He stressed the importance of raising awareness about drug use in northern and eastern Mumbai. “In our Mumbai area, especially in northern and eastern parts, we need to educate the public about the types of drugs and the legal provisions related to them,” he said.The Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer was the chief guest at an anti-drug programme organised by Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi in Mumbai’s Govandi area.Also Read | Who is Sameer Wankhede? All about his link to Aryan Khan and legal action against ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’His remarks come a day after the Delhi high court heard his defamation suit against Netflix, Red Chillies Entertainment (owned by Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan), and others over Ba**ds of Bollywood*, the directorial debut of Aryan Khan, their son. At the start of the hearing, the judge questioned Wankhede’s counsel on the jurisdiction of filing the suit in Delhi. The counsel argued that the series was intended for a national audience, and memes targeting Wankhede were circulating in the national capital too.In his plea, Wankhede has sought permanent and mandatory injunctions, declarations, and damages, alleging the series contained “false, malicious, and defamatory” content. He claimed it portrayed anti-drug enforcement agencies negatively, eroding public confidence in law enforcement.Also Read | ‘Ba***ds of Bollywood’ row: Aryan Khan and Sameer Wankhede now locked in defamation battle — case explained in 5 points He also alleged the series “intentionally aimed” to damage his reputation while proceedings involving him and Aryan Khan were still pending in the Bombay high court and the NDPS special court, Mumbai. Wankhede cited a scene in which a character allegedly made an “obscene gesture” after reciting the aforementioned “Satyameva Jayate,” India’s national motto.Wankhede had arrested Aryan Khan and others in a drug-related case in October 2021; Khan was later cleared following an investigation. In March 2022, Wankhede was transferred from Mumbai to Chennai.
