Delhi High Court Allows Sameer Wankhede to Pursue Defamation Case Against Shah Rukh Khan's Production

Court Grants Permission for Defamation Lawsuit

New Delhi: On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court granted IRS officer Sameer Wankhede the green light to file a defamation lawsuit in Mumbai against the series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

Justice Vikas Mahajan approved Wankhede's request and instructed all involved parties to appear before a civil court in Malad on February 12.

The judge stated, "The application is approved. Let the parties present themselves before the City Civil & Sessions Court, Dindoshi, Malad in Mumbai on February 12, when Wankhede intends to submit the plaint."

Additionally, the court indicated that this order would serve as a summons for the parties involved in the case, which will now be addressed by the Mumbai court.

Wankhede's application followed a ruling on January 29, where the high court determined it lacked the jurisdiction to hear his case.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav had returned the plaint to Wankhede, asserting that since the parties were based in Mumbai and the alleged offense occurred there, the Mumbai courts were competent to handle such matters.

Wankhede contended that the web series contained defamatory material aimed at him, allegedly as a means to settle personal grievances and retaliate for the arrest of Khan's son, Aryan Khan, in a drug-related case in 2021.

He accused the series, which was written and directed by Aryan Khan, of being a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation.

Wankhede has filed a defamation suit against Red Chillies and Netflix, seeking an injunction and claiming damages of Rs 2 crore, which he wishes to donate to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for cancer patients.