Former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede has informed the Delhi High Court that a character in the Netflix web series The Ba**ds of Bollywood, produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, has caused severe damage to his personal reputation and eroded public confidence in anti-drug enforcement agencies.
Wankhede, who filed a ₹2 crore defamation suit against both Netflix and Red Chillies Entertainment, appeared through counsel during the latest hearing and presented a clip from the series to substantiate his allegations. He argued that the portrayal of a character closely resembling him was false, malicious, and defamatory, leading to widespread ridicule for him and his family.
The former officer gained national attention in 2021 for leading the Mumbai cruise drug case that resulted in the arrest of actor Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s son. Wankhede’s lawyer argued that the depiction in the show was not coincidental but was instead a deliberate attempt to mock him, referring to the “history between the parties.”
The counsel stated that the character’s visual resemblance, combined with contextual references to Bollywood, made it clear that the portrayal was aimed at defaming Wankhede. He highlighted a specific scene where the character — allegedly inspired by Wankhede — raids a film party, invokes the national motto “Satyamev Jayate,” and then makes an obscene gesture. Wankhede’s plea asserts that this scene violates the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and tarnishes his image as a former public servant.
The petition further claimed that the series’ release had led to mental distress and public humiliation, with Wankhede’s wife and sister receiving abusive messages online. His lawyer argued that the portrayal exceeded the bounds of creative liberty or satire, amounting instead to character assassination.
Wankhede’s counsel told the court, “This is not artistic expression — it is a targeted defamation campaign. My client’s reputation has been mocked publicly, and his family’s dignity has been attacked.”
The Delhi High Court had previously issued summons to Netflix, Red Chillies Entertainment, and other respondents after Wankhede filed the defamation claim. In response, the defendants have maintained that the web series is a work of fiction and satire, asserting that Wankhede’s reputation was already in the public domain due to his role in several high-profile drug investigations.
Wankhede’s plea seeks both monetary damages and an injunction to either remove or modify the allegedly defamatory content. He maintains that the show’s portrayal has irreparably harmed his credibility and undermined public faith in agencies like the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
The case, which brings into focus the legal limits of creative expression versus personal defamation, has been listed for further hearing on November 17.
