(Source: ECI | ABP NEWS)
Delhi HC Questions Sameer Wankhede’s Defamation Plea Against Aryan Khan’s Netflix Series
Delhi HC questions Wankhede’s defamation plea against Shah Rukh Khan’s Netflix series over allegedly offensive content and seeks damages.
The Delhi High Court on Friday raised questions over IRS officer Sameer Wankhede’s defamation case against Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix. The plea alleges that the web series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, directed by Aryan Khan, defamed Wankhede and harmed his reputation.
Court Probes Maintainability of Plea
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav asked how the case could be maintained in Delhi and whether the cause of action arose in the capital. Wankhede’s lawyer, Sandeep Sethi, told the court, "It is seen by viewers in Delhi. Insofar as the web series is published for viewing in Delhi, I am defamed." The court instructed Wankhede to amend his petition to clearly demonstrate that Delhi is the proper jurisdiction.
Wankhede is seeking a permanent injunction, a declaration, and Rs 2 crore in damages, which he requested be donated to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for cancer patients. The officer’s plea claims that the series was deliberately created to malign him, particularly while the case involving him and Aryan Khan is still sub-judice before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court in Mumbai.
The petition notes that the series depicts a character showing an obscene gesture — raising the middle finger — immediately after reciting the slogan "Satyamev Jayate," part of the National Emblem. As stated in the plea, “This act constitutes a grave and sensitive violation of the provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which attracts penal consequences under law.”
Alleged Legal Breaches
Beyond defamation, the plea claims the web series breaches the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Wankhede argues that the content is deliberately offensive and intended to outrage national sentiment.
The Delhi High Court has now asked the officer to revise his petition to clearly establish that the cause of action occurred in Delhi, allowing the proceedings to move forward.
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