New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued summons to Red Chilli Entertainment, Netflix, and others in a defamation suit filed by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhed against the makers of the show Bollywood’s DS.
The plea pertains to the Netflix web series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, which Wankhede claims has tarnished his image. He has sought damages of Rs 2 crore, adding that the amount will be given to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the treatment of cancer patients.
Justice Purushadra Kumar Kaurava also issued a notice on the application for interim relief. The matter has been listed for hearing on October 30.
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The high court has directed Red Chilli Entertainment and others to file their reply within seven days, while the petitioner has been asked to file a reply within three days thereafter. Additionally, the court has directed the petitioner to supply copies of the petition to all the respondents.
However, the High Court refused to grant any immediate relief to the petitioner and asked him to return after ten days.
In his petition, Wankhede said, “The series disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby destroying public trust in law enforcement institutions.”
The petition further argued that the series was “deliberately conceptualized and executed and tarnished the reputation of Sameer Wankhede in a colourable and prejudicial manner,” even though the cases involving the IRS officer and Aryan Khan are still pending before the Bombay High Court and NDP Special Court in Mumbai.
During a previous hearing on September 26, the high court had directed Wankhede to amend his defamation plea, observing that it was “not maintainable in Delhi.”
Justice Kaurav said at the time, “I am rejecting your plaint. Were your case that you have been defamed at various places, including Delhi, and that the maximum damage has been caused in Delhi, we would still consider the case.”
The petition also raised objections over a particular scene in which a character shows the middle finger immediately after chanting the national slogan “Satyamev Jayate”.
The former NCB officer says the gesture amounts to a serious violation of the Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act, 1971, and is punishable under Indian law.
The plea further said that the content of the series violates various provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Judicial Code (BNS), as it seeks to outrage national sentiment through the use of obscene and offensive material.