How is defamation case against Aryan Khan’s ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ maintainable in Delhi? HC asks Sameer Wankhede
The court asked IRS officer Sameer Wankhede to amend the suit accordingly, specifying the cause of action for pursuing the suit in the jurisdiction of Delhi.
The series, which premiered on September 18 on Netflix, marks the directorial debut of Aryan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, and has been produced by Red Chillies Entertainment.
The Delhi High Court Friday inquired about the maintainability of the defamation suit by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, who sought an injunction and damages for the “misleading” and “negative” portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies in the Aryan Khan-directed Netflix show, ‘Ba****ds of Bollywood’.
In his suit, Wankhede has accused Aryan of a “calculated and vindictive hit job orchestrated to target and malign” him. He also pointed out that he has been the subject matter of “trolling and derogatory insinuations on social media platforms, some of which have received… 1.3 m views.”
Justice Purushaindra Kaurav orally questioned Wankhede’s counsel if there is any cause of action pertaining to Delhi and then suggested he amend the suit accordingly, specifying the cause of action for pursuing the suit in the jurisdiction of Delhi.
The series, which premiered on September 18 on Netflix, marks the directorial debut of Aryan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, and has been produced by Red Chillies Entertainment.
Wankhede shot to the limelight when he arrested Aryan in 2021 while serving as Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
What the suit says
Pointing to the alleged dig at Wankhede in the web series, his suit details that similarities include a character that “mimics” Wankhede’s persona, with “facial and physical resemblance, striking similarities in action, speech and mannerism”. He also pointed out the fact that the character in the series “proceeds to arrest an influential individual associated with the movie industry”.
He objected to the “utterance of the expression, ‘Satyamev Jayate’, by the character — an expression that was often used by Wankhede “while answering media queries while he was investigating Mr Aryan Khan for offences under the NDPS Act”.
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He has also taken objection to the character making an obscene gesture — specifically, showing a middle finger — after the character recites ‘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.”
The defamation suit has been filed against the production company, Netflix, X Corp, Google LlC, Meta Platforms Inc, RPG Lifestyle Media Pvt Ltd and John Does.
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. It is learnt that the suit alleges the series has been “deliberately conceptualised” and executed with the intent to malign Wankhede’s reputation in a “colourable and prejudicial manner”.
He has also taken objection to references made in the series to Aryan’s NCB case and has highlighted that the case is pending and sub-judice before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court, Mumbai.
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Wankhede is seeking Rs 2 crore in damages, to be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for treatment of cancer patients.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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