Delhi High Court dismisses Sameer Wankhede’s defamation case against Aryan Khan’s Netflix show

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a defamation suit filed by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede against Aryan Khan’s directorial Netflix series Ba**ds of Bollywood, according to a Bar & Bench report.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav ruled that the High Court was not the appropriate forum to hear the matter, granting Wankhede the liberty to approach a court of competent jurisdiction.

In 2021, Wankhede, then Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau, had arrested Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, under the NDPS Act following a drug raid in Mumbai. Khan was later cleared of all charges.

In his suit, Wankhede claimed a scene in the series featured a character resembling him and mocked him, seeking Rs 2 crore in damages from Red Chillies Entertainment, the production company owned by Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, and from Netflix. He also sought a takedown of the alleged defamatory content and an injunction against further dissemination.

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Earlier, as per the report, the Court had issued summons to Red Chillies, Netflix, Google, X Corp, and Meta for responses. Red Chillies contended that Wankhede’s reputation had already faced public scrutiny prior to the show and argued that the series was a satire—a protected form of expression that does not amount to defamation.

Rajiv Nayar, senior advocate for Netflix, highlighted that the show included self-referential jokes by filmmaker Karan Johar, portrayal of Bollywood issues like nepotism, MeToo, casting couch, and discussions on drug abuse, aiming to expose “bad ways of Bollywood.”

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Wankhede’s counsel, senior advocate J Sai Deepak, countered that his client had been unfairly ridiculed, alleging malice and vendetta in his depiction. He argued that satire is not an absolute defense, particularly when targeting a public servant, added the report.

The Court, after examining the matter and considering the scope of artistic freedom, dismissed the plea, noting it lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate the case.