The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued summons to film production house Red Chillies Entertainment and others in a defamation suit by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, in relation to the recent Netflix show Ba****ds of Bollywood. It, however, refused to grant any interim injunction immediately today on the streaming of the show. The series, which premiered on September 18 on Netflix, marks the directorial debut of Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, and has been produced by Red Chillies Entertainment. Wankhede, who had arrested Aryan in 2021 while serving as Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), has, in his suit, accused Aryan of a “calculated and vindictive hit job orchestrated to target and malign” him. While issuing the summons to the defendants, Justice Purushaindra Kaurav gave them seven days to file their responses with regard to Wankhede’s plea seeking an interim injunction. The defamation suit has been filed against the production company, Netflix, X Corp, Google LlC, Meta Platforms Inc and RPG Lifestyle Media Pvt Ltd among others. After responses are filed by the defendants, Wankhede has been given three days to file his rejoinder. The court has listed the matter for further consideration on October 30. Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Wankhede, while seeking interim injunction, argued, “There are posts trolling me, my wife, my sister. lots of accusations are being made, it is shocking. Surely they (defendants) are not defending those posts?” Justice Kaurav orally emphasised that a general injunction cannot be issued at this stage. “We appreciate there is cause in your favour to approach this court but there is some procedure to be followed.” Last month, the HC had asked Wankhede to explain how his suit would be maintainable in this jurisdiction. On Wednesday, after Wankhede’s counsel cited case laws on the jurisdictional maintainability, Justice Kaurav issued the summons. Wankhede has claimed that the series disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law-enforcement institutions. He has also taken objection to a character in the series making an obscene gesture — specifically, showing a middle finger — after the character recites the slogan ‘Satyamev Jayate’ which is the part of the National Emblem. Wankhede submitted that this constitutes a “grave and sensitive violation of the provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971”. He is seeking an award of damages of Rs 2 crore, to be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for treatment of cancer patients.
