New Delhi, October 8, 2025 — The Delhi High Court has issued summons to Red Chillies Entertainment, Netflix, Google, Meta, and X Corp in response to a defamation lawsuit filed by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede. The suit pertains to the portrayal of a character in the Netflix series The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, directed by Aryan Khan and produced by Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav presided over the hearing and directed the defendants to file their responses by October 30, the next scheduled date of hearing. The court declined to pass an interim injunction at this stage, stating, “Let them take instructions and file a reply. Cannot pass an injunction order in general”.
Wankhede, who led the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) 2021 cruise ship drug raid that resulted in the arrest of Aryan Khan, alleges that the series contains defamatory content that personally targets him. He claims the character depicted in the show closely resembles him in appearance and behavior, including the use of luxury accessories and aggressive conduct toward individuals in the film industry.
The IRS officer has sought ₹2 crore in damages, which he intends to donate to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital. His plea argues that the series undermines the credibility of anti-drug enforcement agencies and erodes public trust in law enforcement institutions. Wankhede also cited a specific scene in Episode 1 of the series, between timestamps 32:02 and 33:50, where a character allegedly makes an offensive gesture after reciting “Satyamev Jayate,” a phrase associated with the National Emblem. He contends this violates the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
During the proceedings, the court questioned the maintainability of the suit in Delhi, asking Wankhede to amend his petition to establish how the cause of action originated within the jurisdiction. Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing Wankhede, argued that the series is available for viewing in Delhi and that defamatory memes targeting his client have circulated in the capital.
Legal representation for the defendants included Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayyar for Netflix and Senior Advocate Shyel Trehan for Red Chillies Entertainment. The court has asked all parties to submit their replies within seven days, with rejoinders to follow within three days thereafter.
