E-Paper
Delhi HC summons Red Chillies in Sameer Wankhede defamation suit over Aryan Khan's ‘Ba**ds of Bollywood’
The case pertains to the recently released docuseries “Ba**ds of Bollywood”, directed by Shah Rukh's son Aryan Khan.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to actor Shah Rukh Khan, Red Chillies Entertainment, and Netflix in response to a defamation suit filed by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, who alleged that their series, "The Ba***ds of Bollywood", has deliberately damaged his reputation.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav issued summons to the defendants -- Gauri Khan, who owns Red Chillies Entertainment Private Limited, Netflix, X Corp (formerly Twitter), Google LLC, Meta Platforms, RPG Lifestyle Media Private Limited, and John Doe -- in the defamation suit and asked them to file their replies within seven days.
The case pertains to the recently released docuseries “Ba**ds of Bollywood”, directed by Shah Rukh's son Aryan Khan, which Wankhede claims has deliberately damaged his reputation.
The court, which had not yet passed an interim injunction order at this stage, asked the defendants to also file their replies to Wankhede's application seeking to remove the alleged defamatory content from several websites.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on October 30.
Also Read | The Ba***ds of Bollywood star Lakshya left ₹15000 per day job for films, talked about the 'guts' to do so
What are Sameer Wankhede's allegations?
Wankhede sought ₹2 crore in damages, which he wants to donate to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the benefit of cancer patients.
"This series disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions," the plea submitted.
The plea stated that the series has been deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign Wankhede's reputation in a colourable and prejudicial manner, especially since the case involving the officer and Shahrukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan, is pending and sub-judice before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court in Mumbai.
