Delhi HC dismisses Sameer Wankhede’s suit over ‘Ba***ds of Bollywood’ content

Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, who was arrested by Wankhede in a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raid on a cruise ship in 2021, co-wrote and directed the series

The Delhi high court on Thursday dismissed bureaucrat Sameer Wankhede’s suit seeking directions to Shah Rukh Khan Red’s Chillies Entertainment and Netflix to take down certain content from the series “Ba***ds of Bollywood”, saying that it does not have the jurisdiction to hear the matter.

The Delhi high court said that it does not have the jurisdiction to hear the matter.

“This court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the plaint. The same is therefore returned to be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction,” said Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav. A detailed copy of the verdict is awaited.

Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, who was arrested by Wankhede in a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raid on a cruise ship in 2021, co-wrote and directed the series. The NCB exonerated Aryan Khan and five others in 2022.

In his suit, Wankhede sought the take-down of content from Episode 1 of the series, specifically from the timestamp 32:02 to 33:50, which features a character who closely resembles him in both appearance and mannerisms.

Red Chillies and Netflix opposed the suit, saying that the court did not have the territorial jurisdiction to consider the defamation suit. Red Chillies and Netflix lawyers Neeraj Kishan Kaul and Rajiv Nayyar argued the suit ought to have been filed in Mumbai, since Wankhede’s residence and the film production company’s registered office were there.

Kaul argued that the episode in question portrays a fictional story set during a Bollywood success party and was not a recreation of the cruise raid. Nayyar said that merely contending that the series is directed by Aryan Khan, with whom Wankhede has a prior history, does not establish malice on Khan’s part and justify the removal of portions from the series.

Wankhede’s counsel, Jai Sai Deepak, argued that the suit was prima facie maintainable in Delhi as the principal harm had occurred here. He submitted that although Wankhede does not reside in Delhi, the departmental proceedings against him are in the city. Deepak said Wankhede has relatives and friends in Delhi, and media outlets here approached him for interviews after the series was released. He added Red Chillies and Netflix had undertaken significant promotional activity for the series in Delhi.

Deepak submitted that the actor, who played his role, allegedly told Wankhede that he had represented him, and thus this amounted to an admission.