Sameer Wankhede vs Aryan Khan: Delhi HC issues notice to Netflix and Red Chillies in Sameer Wankhede’s defamation suit over ‘The Ba**ds of Bollywood’. Hearing set for October 30, 2025.
New Delhi | October 8, 2025 | The Interview Times — The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to Netflix, Shahrukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, and other respondents in a defamation suit filed by former NCB Mumbai zonal director and IRS officer Sameer Wankhede. The case relates to the Netflix web series The Ba**ds of Bollywood, which Wankhede claims has defamed him and harmed his reputation.
The court directed Red Chillies Entertainment and other respondents to file their replies within seven days. Wankhede was instructed to provide copies of his petition to the parties named. The matter is listed for hearing on October 30, 2025.
Sameer Wankhede vs Aryan Khan: Defamation Allegations
Wankhede’s petition names Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, owned by Shahrukh Khan and Gauri Khan, along with Netflix and others. He has sought a permanent injunction, a declaratory order, and damages of Rs 2 crore, which he proposed should be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for cancer treatment.
In the plea, Wankhede claimed that the series “disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions.”
He argued that the show was “deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign Sameer Wankhede’s reputation in a colourable and prejudicial manner,” even as cases involving him and Aryan Khan remain pending before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court in Mumbai.
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Sameer Wankhede vs Aryan Khan: Controversial Scene Under Scrutiny
The petition also raises objections to a scene in the show where a character makes an obscene gesture after reciting Satyamev Jayate, which Wankhede says is a “grave and sensitive violation” of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
He further contends that the content violates provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, claiming it outrages national sentiment by using obscene and offensive material.
Wankhede has urged the court to restrain the streaming and distribution of the show and declare its content defamatory, stating that the portrayal undermines public faith in institutions responsible for enforcing drug laws.
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Sameer Wankhede vs Aryan Khan: Background — Cruise Ship Investigation
The defamation suit comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Wankhede. In May 2023, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against him, accusing him of attempting to extort Rs 25 crore from Shahrukh Khan during the 2021 cruise ship drug investigation involving Aryan Khan.
Wankhede has denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated, and cited text messages with Shahrukh Khan to support his claims.
The Delhi High Court’s notice marks the beginning of a legal battle that could have far-reaching implications for content streaming, freedom of expression, and the portrayal of law enforcement in India.
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