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From Raids to Courtroom: Delhi HC questions Sameer Wankhede over defamation suit against Aryan Khan’s Netflix series
The Delhi High Court questioned the maintainability of Sameer Wankhede’s defamation suit against Aryan Khan’s Netflix series, asking him to prove Delhi jurisdiction. Wankhede alleges the show maligns him, insults national symbols, and undermines enforcement agencies.
Wankhede, who previously headed the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai unit during the high-profile 2021 cruise ship raid that led to Aryan Khan’s arrest, has alleged that the series paints him in a false and malicious light.
The Delhi High Court on Friday, September 26, 2025, raised questions over the maintainability of a defamation suit filed by Indian Revenue Service IRS officer Sameer Wankhede against the Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, directed by Aryan Khan and produced by Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, The Hindu reported.
Wankhede, who previously headed the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Mumbai unit during the high-profile 2021 cruise ship raid that led to Aryan Khan’s arrest, has alleged that the series paints him in a false and malicious light. Seeking Rs 2 crore in damages, pledged for donation to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, Wankhede claims the show was designed to malign his reputation and undermine faith in anti-drug enforcement agencies.
At the hearing, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav asked how the case was maintainable in Delhi and whether any part of the cause of action had actually arisen in the Capital. As per the media reports, Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing Wankhede, argued that since the web series is streamed across India, including in Delhi, the officer has been defamed in the city as well.
The judge, however, directed Wankhede to amend his petition to explicitly establish jurisdiction.
The plea also highlights certain scenes, including one where a character allegedly makes an obscene gesture after reciting “Satyamev Jayate,” part of India’s National Emblem. Wankhede argues that this act violates the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and attracts penal consequences.
The petition further invokes provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), contending that the series contains obscene and offensive content intended to outrage national sentiment.
Aryan Khan was exonerated in 2022 after the NCB found no evidence of drugs in his possession. However, Wankhede’s legal battle against his portrayal in the series adds a fresh chapter to the continuing controversy surrounding the case that once dominated national headlines.
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