The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed the defamation suit filed by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede concerning his alleged depiction in the Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, directed by Aryan Khan. The court refused to hear the matter citing lack of jurisdiction and returned the plaint, allowing Wankhede to move the appropriate court.
While delivering the order, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said that the plaint was being returned to the petitioner to approach a court of competent jurisdiction, adding that all pending applications stood dismissed. The ruling was passed during the hearing of Wankhede’s request for an interim injunction seeking to halt the streaming of the series.
During the course of arguments, the High Court identified two primary issues for determination — whether the suit was maintainable before the Delhi High Court and whether the allegedly objectionable portrayal in the series, when assessed in its full context, prima facie amounted to defamation rather than protected artistic expression.
Senior Advocate J Sai Deepak represented Sameer Wankhede in the matter. Shah Rukh Khan’s production banner Red Chillies Entertainment was represented by Senior Advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, while Netflix was represented by Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayyar.
The case stems from Wankhede’s claim that The Ba***ds of Bollywood contains a veiled portrayal of him through its depiction of a government officer, which he alleges has caused reputational damage. The officer has filed a Rs. 2 crore defamation suit, asserting that the series indirectly references the controversial 2021 Cordelia Empress cruise drug case, in which Aryan Khan was arrested and later cleared of charges.
Opposing the plea, Red Chillies Entertainment argued that the show does not depict Sameer Wankhede nor does it make any reference to the Cordelia cruise case. The production house maintained that the series is a work of fiction that broadly draws inspiration from the idea of overzealous law enforcement officers and falls within the ambit of creative and artistic expression.
With the Delhi High Court declining to grant relief on jurisdictional grounds, the legal battle is far from over. Wankhede may now approach the appropriate court to pursue his claims, while the series continues to remain available for streaming on Netflix.
Also Read: Delhi HC flags bias in Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds Of Bollywood as Sameer Wankhede accuses Netflix show of targeting him
from Latest Bollywood News | Hindi Movie News | Hindi Cinema News | Indian Movies | Films – Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/78yAfnR
About the Author
