Delhi HC reserves verdict in Sameer Wankhede's 'Bads' defamation suit
What's the story
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved its judgment in the defamation case filed by former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede against Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix. Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix had earlier argued that the court did not have jurisdiction over the matter, asserting that the series The Ba***ds of Bollywood is a work of fiction and satire.
Legal action
Wankhede's suit seeks removal of specific content
Wankhede has demanded the removal of certain content from Episode 1 of Ba***ds, specifically between timestamps 32:02 and 33:50. The series features a character who bears a striking resemblance to Wankhede in both appearance and mannerisms. The show, streaming on Netflix, was created, co-written, and directed by Aryan Khan, SRK's son. In 2021, Wankhede had arrested Aryan during an NCB raid on a cruise ship.
Jurisdiction dispute
Red Chillies and Netflix's jurisdiction argument
Red Chillies and Netflix had earlier argued that the defamation suit should have been filed in Mumbai, where Wankhede resides, and Red Chillies is registered. They claimed that the episode in question depicts a fictional story set at a Bollywood success party and is not a recreation of the Cordelia cruise raid.
Legal proceedings
Wankhede's counter-arguments and court's next steps
Wankhede's lawyer, Jai Sai Deepak, countered that the suit is maintainable in Delhi as the principal harm occurred there. He highlighted that Wankhede doesn't live in Delhi but departmental proceedings against him are based there. The court has now reserved its judgment on two key questions: whether the suit is prima facie maintainable and whether the content in question is defamatory when viewed as a whole.