The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to actor Shah Rukh Khan, Netflix, and Red Chillies Entertainment on a defamation suit filed by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, who alleged that his reputation was tarnished by the Netflix series The Ba**ds of Bollywood*.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav issued summons to all defendants, including Gauri Khan-owned Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Netflix, X Corp (formerly Twitter), Google LLC, Meta Platforms, RPG Lifestyle Media Pvt Ltd, and John Doe. The parties have been directed to submit their responses within seven days. The matter will next be heard on October 30.
The court, however, refrained from granting any interim injunction at this stage but directed the defendants to file their replies to Wankhede’s application seeking removal of the alleged defamatory content from multiple online platforms.
In his plea, Wankhede sought ₹2 crore in damages, which he proposed to donate to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for cancer patients. The petition claims that the series spreads a “misleading and negative portrayal” of anti-drug enforcement agencies, undermining public trust in law enforcement institutions.
Wankhede further alleged that the show was deliberately conceptualised and produced to malign his reputation, particularly since the case involving Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan remains sub judice before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court in Mumbai.
