Delhi High Court Deliberates on IRS Officer's Plea Against 'The Bads of Bollywood'

Court Hearing on Defamation Case

The Delhi High Court has reserved its order on Tuesday regarding the petition filed by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, who is seeking an interim injunction against the series 'The Bads of Bollywood,' produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment Private Limited.

Wankhede claims that the series is defamatory and has requested the court to direct its removal from various platforms. Justice Purushendra Kumar Kaurav, after hearing all parties involved, framed two key questions for consideration and reserved the decision on the interim application.

The two questions posed by the court are whether the case is maintainable in Delhi and whether the controversial portrayal, when viewed in its entirety, prima facie harms the reputation of the plaintiff beyond artistic expression. Wankhede's attorney argued that the case is maintainable in Delhi, as his relatives (who have watched the show) reside there, departmental proceedings against him are pending in the city, and the media houses that published articles against him are also located in Delhi.

However, Red Chillies Entertainment and the OTT platform Netflix opposed the petition, asserting that it was filed beyond the jurisdiction and should have been submitted in Mumbai instead.

Netflix contended that the show highlights Bollywood culture, satire, and dark comedy, and cannot be restricted in a defamation lawsuit. They argued that the officer should not be overly sensitive about a one-and-a-half-minute satirical scene, especially since he himself acknowledges it as satire.

Wankhede has filed a defamation suit against Red Chillies and Netflix, seeking damages of ₹2 crores. He expressed his intention to donate the compensation amount to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for cancer patients.