The Delhi High Court has rejected a defamation case filed by Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede against a Netflix series directed by Aryan Khan. The court said it does not have the legal authority, or jurisdiction, to hear the case. Because of this, the court did not go into the details or merits of the allegations made by Wankhede.
The case was linked to the Netflix series The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, which Wankhede claimed showed a character that resembled him and damaged his reputation. However, the High Court made it clear that since the case could not be heard in Delhi, it could not move forward.
In its order, the Delhi High Court stated that the defamation suit, as it was filed, could not be entertained by the court. The judges said that the issue of jurisdiction came first and that without proper jurisdiction, the court could not examine whether defamation had actually taken place.
This meant that the court did not make any comments on whether the Netflix series was defamatory or whether the character in the show truly represented Sameer Wankhede. The case was dismissed purely on legal grounds related to where the case should have been filed.
Earlier, in October, the Delhi High Court had issued notices to Netflix and Red Chillies Entertainment, asking them to respond to Wankhede’s claims. At that stage, the court was considering whether the case could proceed. Both companies were asked to file their replies to the petition.
However, after reviewing the matter in detail, the court concluded that it was not the correct forum to hear the dispute. As a result, the suit was rejected without any further examination of the content of the series or the allegations made by Wankhede.
The order has brought an end to the proceedings in the Delhi High Court, though it does not stop Wankhede from approaching another court that may have proper jurisdiction over the matter.
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Sameer Wankhede had filed the defamation case in his personal capacity. He had earlier said that the issue was about his self-respect, personal dignity, and honour. According to him, the portrayal of a character in the Netflix series was insulting and unfair, especially to those who have worked to fight drug abuse in the country.
Wankhede had also spoken about the personal impact of the controversy. He said that the issue had caused distress to his family, who, according to him, have nothing to do with his professional work. He claimed that his wife and sister received hate messages and threats from different countries, which he described as deeply disturbing.
He stressed that satire or parody should not target real people in a way that harms their reputation. He also said that raising sensitive issues like drug abuse in a careless manner could insult not just one person, but many officers who have worked hard in this field.
The dispute has its roots in the 2021 Mumbai cruise ship drug raid. During that case, Sameer Wankhede, who was then a senior official, was involved in the arrest of Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan. The case received massive public attention and media coverage at the time.
In 2022, Aryan Khan was cleared of all charges related to the case. Later, he went on to direct The Ba**ds of Bollywood* for Netflix. The series was released in September 2025 and is a fictional story set in the film industry.
After the release of the series, Wankhede claimed that a character in the show closely resembled him and portrayed him in a negative way. He argued that this harmed his reputation and led to online harassment of his family.
Despite these claims, the Delhi High Court did not examine whether the character was based on Wankhede or whether the portrayal was harmful. The judges focused only on the question of jurisdiction and ruled that the case could not be heard in Delhi.
The court’s decision highlights the importance of filing cases in the correct legal forum. While the dismissal does not decide who is right or wrong in the dispute, it does mean that the Delhi High Court will not be the place where this matter is decided.
For now, the legal battle in Delhi has ended. Whether the issue will be taken to another court remains to be seen. The case has once again brought attention to the fine line between creative freedom, satire, and personal reputation, especially when real-life events inspire fictional stories.
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