Delhi HC Reserves Order on Sameer Wankhede’s Defamation Suit Over Netflix Series ‘Ba***ds of Bollywood’

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, reserved its verdict in a defamation suit filed by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and former NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede against Netflix and others over his alleged portrayal in the Netflix series “Ba***ds of Bollywood”, directed by Aryan Khan.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Purushaindra Kaurav reserved the order after hearing brief submissions from all sides. The Court framed two key issues:

1. Whether the suit is maintainable in Delhi.

2. Whether the impugned depiction, when viewed in its entirety and context, crosses the permissible limits of artistic expression and amounts to prima facie reputational harm.

Appearing for Wankhede, Senior Advocate J. Sai Deepak argued that the suit is maintainable in Delhi as the officer’s relatives reside in the city and certain departmental proceedings against him are pending here.

He further submitted that several news reports allegedly defaming Wankhede, including those published by The Indian Express and Hindustan Times, originate from Delhi and that the allegedly defamatory content is accessible nationwide, including to viewers in the capital.

Highlighting prior history between the parties, Deepak submitted,” There is a prior history. On the face of it, the director (Aryan Khan) of the series was the subject of arrest. The impugned content specifically targets me (Wankhede). Prima facie, there is a clear link”

“We are not against free speech and are not seeking a blanket ban. The request is limited. The rejoinder also details legal proceedings pending against the founders of D1,” Deepak argued.

Opposing the plea, Netflix and Red Chillies Entertainment argued that the Delhi High Court lacks territorial jurisdiction, stating that the suit ought to have been filed in Mumbai.

Netflix contended that the series is satirical, uses dark humour, and cannot be restrained in a defamation suit. The platform submitted that a brief satirical scene cannot amount to actionable defamation and that the threshold for defamation in such cases is high and cannot be established at the interim stage. Any determination of damage, it contended, can only be made after trial.

The suit names multiple defendants, including Red Chillies Entertainment Private Limited, Netflix, X Corp (formerly Twitter), Google LLC, Meta Platforms, RPG Lifestyle Media Private Limited, and a John Doe.

On October 8, the Court had issued summons in Wankhede’s defamation suit against Netflix and others over his alleged defamatory portrayal in the series

In this plea, Wankhede contended that the show was conceived with the intent of damaging his reputation. The series, which premiered on September 18 on Netflix, marked Aryan Khan’s directorial debut and was produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, the company owned by Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan. Wankhede had filed the suit against both Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix, demanding damages of Rs 2 crore. He had further requested that the compensation, if granted, be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the benefit of cancer patients.

The plea sought a permanent and mandatory injunction, along with a declaration and damages, against Red Chillies Entertainment, Netflix, and others associated with the show. Wankhede had alleged that his portrayal in “Ba***ds of Bollywood” was “false, malicious, and defamatory,” arguing that the content produced by Red Chillies and broadcast on Netflix misrepresented him.

According to the suit, “Ba***ds of Bollywood” depicted a distorted and negative image of anti-drug enforcement agencies, which, Wankhede claimed, risked eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions. His plea also raised objections to a particular scene in which a character was shown raising the middle finger immediately after uttering the national slogan “Satyamev Jayate.”

Wankhede asserted that this act constituted a serious violation of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and was punishable under Indian law. He further claimed that the show had been deliberately designed and executed to damage his reputation in a colourable and prejudicial manner, particularly at a time when proceedings involving him and Aryan Khan remained pending before the Bombay High Court and the Special NDPS Court.

Case Title: Sameer Dnyandev Wankhede v. Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. & Ors.

Bench: Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav.

Hearing Date: 2 December 2025