The Delhi High Court has recently dismissed a defamation case brought by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede regarding his portrayal in the Netflix series **The Ba*ds of Bollywood, directed by Aryan Khan. The court indicated that it did not have the proper jurisdiction to handle the matter and suggested that Wankhede seek the appropriate court for his claims.
During the ruling, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav mentioned that Wankhede’s request for an interim injunction, aimed at stopping the show from streaming, was also rejected. He noted that all applications related to the case would be dismissed, and Wankhede would need to file in the correct venue.
The court examined whether the lawsuit was suitable for the Delhi High Court and pondered if the depiction in the series could be considered defamation rather than artistic expression.
Wankhede, represented by Senior Advocate J Sai Deepak, claims that the series includes a disguised portrayal of him as a government official, suggesting it has negatively impacted his reputation. His defamation suit amounts to ₹2 crore and stems from concerns about how the show relates to the controversial 2021 Cordelia Empress cruise drug case, where Aryan Khan was arrested but later exonerated.
In response, Red Chillies Entertainment, which produced the series, counters that there is no direct reference to Wankhede or the cruise case in the show. They argue that the series is a fictional narrative centered around exaggerated law enforcement rather than a depiction of real events.
With the court declining to offer relief due to jurisdictional issues, Wankhede may still pursue his claims in a different court, while the series remains available for viewers on Netflix.
