The Delhi High Court declined to hear the defamation lawsuit brought by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede against Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd and Netflix. The court stated it lacked jurisdiction and directed Wankhede to pursue the case in the appropriate court. Wankhede alleged that his reputation was severely damaged by the portrayal in the web series ‘The Ba**ds of Bollywood’.
Wankhede claimed that the content in the Netflix series produced by Red Chillies Entertainment tarnished his image and that of anti-drug enforcement agencies. He sought injunctions, damages, and claimed the series contained biased and defamatory content against him. The lawsuit mentioned that a character in the series made an offensive gesture after saying “Satyamev Jayate,” which Wankhede considered an insult to a national emblem.
The IRS official demanded Rs 2 crore in damages, intending to donate the amount to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for cancer patient treatment. The Delhi High Court had previously reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from both sides on December 2, 2025.
