The controversy around the web series The Ba****ds of Bollywood has reached the courts, but former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede‘s legal action has hit an early hurdle. On Friday, the Delhi High Court raised questions about his defamation plea filed against Netflix and Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment.
Wankhede had approached the court claiming the series was a “false, malicious and defamatory” portrayal of him. However, the court’s primary concern is not with the allegations themselves, but with the location where the case has been filed.
The Court Questions The Delhi Connection
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of the Delhi High Court specifically asked Wankhede’s legal team to justify how the case was maintainable in Delhi. The main issue is one of jurisdiction—the court wants to know if a “cause of action,” or a valid reason to sue, actually arose in the national capital.
In response, Wankhede’s lawyer argued that since the series is available for streaming in Delhi and has been watched by people in the city, his client’s reputation has been damaged locally. Despite this, the court has directed Wankhede to amend his plea and provide a more specific and stronger justification for filing the case in Delhi.
What Are Wankhede’s Allegations?
Sameer Wankhede’s lawsuit seeks Rs. 2 crore in damages for the alleged harm to his reputation. He has interestingly requested that if the court grants him the money, it should be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital.
His plea makes serious claims, alleging that the series was deliberately made to malign him. He also claims that a character in the show makes an obscene gesture (showing the middle finger) right after saying “Satyamev Jayate,” which he argues is a grave insult to India’s National Emblem. The petition also asserts that the series violates other Indian laws like the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The Aryan Khan Case Context
The lawsuit is deeply connected to the 2021 drugs-on-cruise case, in which Wankhede was the lead investigator and Aryan Khan was an accused. The plea argues that releasing this series, which is reportedly Aryan Khan’s directorial debut, is unfair and prejudicial because legal proceedings related to that original case are still pending in Mumbai courts.
The future of this defamation suit now depends on whether Wankhede can convince the Delhi High Court that it is the right place to hear his case. The next hearing is eagerly awaited to see if the lawsuit can proceed.
About The ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ Case
The legal case involves a defamation lawsuit filed by former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede against producers Red Chillies Entertainment and streaming platform Netflix. Wankhede alleges that the web series The Ba*ds of Bollywood, reportedly the debut directorial of Aryan Khan, contains a defamatory portrayal of him, linked to his investigation in the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case.
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