The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to actor Shah Rukh Khan, Red Chillies Entertainment, and Netflix on a defamation suit filed by Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede, who alleged that the series The Bads of Bollywood* maligns his reputation.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav issued summons to Red Chillies Entertainment Private Limited (owned by Gauri Khan), Netflix, X Corp (formerly Twitter), Google LLC, Meta Platforms, RPG Lifestyle Media Private Limited, and unidentified defendants (John Doe) on the suit. The court directed all defendants to file their replies within seven days.
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on October 30.
While the court did not grant an interim injunction at this stage, it directed the defendants to also respond to Wankhede’s application seeking the removal of the alleged defamatory content from various online platforms.
Wankhede’s plea states that the series “disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions.”
He claims that the show was deliberately conceptualised and executed to malign his reputation in a “colourable and prejudicial manner,” especially when proceedings involving him and Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan remain pending before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court in Mumbai.
The IRS officer has sought ₹2 crore in damages, stating that the amount, if awarded, would be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the treatment of cancer patients.
