Aryan Khan’s Ba***ds of Bollywood, the most popular Netflix shows in India, faced legal action from IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, days after its release. The official claimed that a scene in the series attempted to defame him and certain emblems of national importance. During the hearing in the Delhi High Court today, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav refused to entertain the updated complaint, holding that the Court lacked jurisdiction, as per a Live Law report.
In his updated plaint, Wankhede’s legal team also mentioned Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, Netflix, Meta, XCorp, and Google. Dismissing the application, the Delhi HC dismissed the case on Aryan Khan’s directorial debut, Ba***ds of Bollywood, on all stands.
Why did Delhi HC reject Wankhede’s plea?
The High Court raised two major questions in the interim injunction application. While the first one centred on its maintenance in Delhi and questioned the limits of jurisdiction, the other questioned the context. As per the arguments raised in court, Justice Kaurav, looking at the larger context, questioned whether the prima facie crossed the threshold and turned from protected artistic expression into actionable harm to Wankhede’s reputation.
Senior advocate J Sai Deepak argued that the suit, in fact, fell within the jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court. He added that apart from the residence of Wankhede’s relatives here, the suit was maintainable in the national capital, with respect to departmental proceedings.
Wankhede’s demands and queries
According to Wankhede’s appeal, he alleged that scenes in Aryan Khan‘s Ba***ds of Bollywood were “false, malicious, and defamatory” in nature. Urging the removal of the questionable portion, they claimed that everyday the series is available on the OTT platform, it causes harm to his reputation. The attempt to replicate an unrelated incident was labelled as “deliberate,” in turn, an effort to tarnish his reputation in a “prejudicial and colourable manner”.
Additionally, the series also allegedly depicts a character making an obscene gesture after the character recites the slogan “satyamev jayate”. As per Wankhede’s suit, it is a grave and sensitive violation of the provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
What motivated Wankhede to file a case?
“Today we will raid here,” one of the most striking moments of the series’ first episode begins with this line, instantly setting a tense tone. The scene shows a van full of officers from a non-governmental organisation called ‘NCG’ preparing for a drug crackdown.
The officer leading the raid introduces himself as part of the “war against drugs”, the “fall against drugs”, and a member of the ‘NCG’. He then confronts a character named DJ Adam, accusing him of using an illegal substance. In a pointed twist, the officer arrests him after drawing attention to the fact that he is the son of a well-known Bollywood actor. The moment is widely seen as a not-so-subtle reference to the high-profile arrest of Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, by the NCB in October 2021.