Ex-NCB Sameer Wankhede MOVES Delhi HC over his reference in Ba***ds Of Bollywood, seeks Rs 2 crore from SRK

Ex-narcotics officer Sameer Wankhede has moved Delhi High Court against the Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood and Shah Rukh Khan over his portrayal in the Aryan Khan-directed OTT series. Shah Rukh Khan and Red Chillies Entertainment, his firm and the producer of The Ba***ds of Bollywood, are being sued by Wankhede for Rs 2 crore in damages, which he says would be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the treatment of cancer patients.

Sameer Wankhede issues statement

A statement from Wankhede read, "Sameer Wankhede, IRS Officer, has filed a defamation suit before the Delhi High Court seeking reliefs in the nature of permanent and mandatory injunction, declaration, and damages against Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, the OTT platform, Netflix and others, having been aggrieved by a false, malicious, and defamatory video produced by Red Chillies and broadcast by Netflix as part of their television series titled The Ba***ds of Bollywood."

"This series disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions," the statement further reads.

What was portrayed in the series?

A figure that was totally inspired by Sameer Wankhede appears outside a Bollywood party in the first episode of The Ba***ds of Bollywood, searching for "Bollywood folks who are doing drugs."

Deliberate attempt to malign reputation: Wankhede

In his statement, Wankhede stated that The Ba***ds of Bollywood was "deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign Sameer Wankhede's reputation in a colourable and prejudicial manner."

"Especially when the case involving Sameer Wankhede and Aryan khan is pending and sub-judice before the Hon'ble Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court, Mumbai," Wankhede's statement to the media read.

"Furthermore, the series, inter alia, depicts a character making an obscene gesture--specifically, showing a middle finger after the character recites the slogan "Satyamev Jayate" which is the part of the National Emblem. This act constitutes a grave and sensitive violation of the provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which attracts penal consequences under law," continued Wankhede's statement.

"In addition, the content of the series is in contravention of various provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as it seeks to outrage national sentiment through the use of obscene and offensive material," it read.