Delhi HC summons Netflix, Red Chillies in Sameer Wankhede defamation case

The Delhi HC has summoned Netflix, Red Chillies, Google, X Corp and Meta in Sameer Wankhede's defamation case over his portrayal in The Ba**ds of Bollywood series

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued summons to Red Chillies Entertainment, Netflix, Google, X Corp and Meta in response to a defamation suit filed by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede, Bar and Bench reported. 

Wankhede has sought an injunction and takedown of scenes portraying him in the Aryan Khan-directed Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood. However, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav did not grant any injunction at this stage. 

“Let them take instructions and file a reply. Cannot pass an injunction order in general,” the court said. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for October 30. 

In 2021, Wankhede, then Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), arrested Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act during a drug raid in Mumbai.

 

Damages and takedown demanded

Wankhede has filed the suit seeking ₹2 crore in damages against Red Chillies Entertainment (owned by Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan), Netflix, X Corp, Google, Meta and RPG Lifestyle Media Pvt Ltd. 

According to the petition, a scene in the web series involves a character resembling Wankhede and “targets and ridicules” him. He has requested the takedown of the allegedly defamatory content and an injunction to prevent the parties from making, publishing, or disseminating further defamatory statements about him. 

He has also sought an injunction against John Doe (unknown defendants) who might create or share related content on social media platforms.   

 

Allegations of defamation

The former NCB officer described his portrayal in the series as false, malicious, and defamatory. 

“The defendant No 1 has purposefully and intentionally crafted a character in defamatory content with the sole intent to connect with the plaintiff, making the character’s actions, speech, and traits strikingly similar to those of the plaintiff. Clearly, therefore, this was a conscious and intentional attempt to portray the plaintiff in a negative light, camouflaging their malicious intentions by creating a character that mimics the plaintiff’s persona,” Wankhede said in the suit.

 

Wankhede cites reputational harm

He also claimed that the series presents a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, which could erode public confidence in law enforcement institutions. 

The officer alleged that the series was deliberately conceptualised to malign his reputation, especially since the case involving him and Aryan Khan is still pending in the Bombay High Court and Special NDPS Court in Mumbai. 

He further stated that he has been receiving “intimidatory messages” from unknown individuals on his social media accounts.