Delhi HC Rejects Sameer Wankhede’s Defamation Plea Against Aryan Khan's Ba***ds of Bollywood

The Delhi High Court pronounced its verdict on Thursday in the defamation suit filed by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede over his alleged defamatory portrayal in the Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood directed by Aryan Khan. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, after hearing all sides, reserved its order last year and dismissed the suit to take down scenes from the series today. The court stated that it lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the plea. 

"The plaint is returned to the plaintiff to approach the Court of competent jurisdiction. Application of any stands dismissed," the Court said as per a report by LiveLaw. 

Sameer Wankhede vs Aryan Khan

The court examined whether the case could be filed in Delhi, and the scenes shown in the web series crossed the line from artistic expression to defamation. Senior Advocate J Sai Deepak appeared for Wankhede, Senior Advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul represented Red Chillies Entertainment, and Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayyar appeared for Netflix. 

Wankhede’s lawyer argued that Delhi was the right place to file the case because his relatives live there, departmental proceedings related to him are pending in Delhi, and several media houses that published reports against him are based in the capital. 

"In my case, there is a prior history. On the face of it, the director of the series was the person arrested. The impugned content specifically targets me. There is prima facie a clear link between their vendetta and angst against me and the defamation the content has exposed me to," he said, per a report by NTDV. 

He further objected to a scene where a character shows a middle finger after saying “Satyamev Jayate,” claiming this insults national honour and violates the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act. The suit also alleged that the content violates provisions of the Information Technology Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as it allegedly hurts national sentiments by using obscene and offensive material.

Red Chillies, Netflix Oppose Plea

However, Red Chillies Entertainment argued that the case should have been filed in Mumbai, as Wankhede lives there and the company’s office is also located in Mumbai. 

Netflix opposed the request for interim relief, stating that defamation cases require a very high standard of proof, which cannot be decided at an early stage. Netflix also argued that allegations and inquiries related to Wankhede have been in the public domain since 2022, and no action was taken earlier against such content. It added that the show uses satire and dark comedy to comment on Bollywood culture, which is protected as creative expression.

Wankhede named several parties in the suit, including Red Chillies Entertainment, Netflix, X Corp (formerly Twitter), Google, Meta, and sought Rs 2 crore in damages, stating that the amount would be donated to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital.