Delhi HC reserves order on Wankhede’s plea against Netflix series

The Delhi High Court connected Tuesday (December 02, 2025) reserved its bid connected a plea by IRS serviceman Sameer Wankhede, who has sought an interim restraining bid against the Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood’. Mr. Wankhede has alleged that the bid is defamatory and has urged the tribunal to nonstop its removal.

Justice Purushaindra Kaurav, aft proceeding each the parties successful the matter, framed 2 questions to beryllium decided astatine this signifier and reserved the bid connected the interim plea.

The 2 questions framed by the tribunal are – whether the suit is maintainable successful Delhi and whether the impugned depiction, erstwhile viewed arsenic a full successful the context, prima facie crosses the threshold and turns from protected creator look into actionable harm to Mr Wankhede’s reputation.

Mr. Wankhede’s counsel submitted that the suit is maintainable successful Delhi arsenic his relatives who person viewed the amusement reside here, departmental proceedings against him are pending present and the media houses which published the articles against him are besides based successful the city.

Red Chillies Entertainment and OTT Platform Netflix, however, opposed the plea saying it lacked territorial jurisdiction and the suit should person been filed successful Mumbai alternatively of Delhi.

‘Oversensitive’

Netflix contended that the amusement exposes Bollywood culture, satire and acheronian comedy. It said the serviceman should not beryllium oversensitive astir a one-and-a-half-minute satire country erstwhile helium himself admits it is satire.

In its reply to Mr. Wankhede’s interim application, Red Chillies said the bid was a “satire” and specified depiction is permitted successful instrumentality arsenic a morganatic signifier of creator look and societal commentary.

Mr. Wankhede, successful his rejoinder to Red Chillies, said the “defamatory content” was created to settee idiosyncratic scores with him and avenge the apprehension of Shah Rukh Khan’s lad Aryan Khan successful a 2021 drugs case.