Delhi High Court has reserved its order on IRS officer Sameer Wankhede’s plea seeking removal of allegedly defamatory scenes from a Netflix series. Arguments focused on jurisdiction, online publications, and claims of “irreparable harm” to Wankhede’s reputation.
New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Tuesday heard IRS officer Sameer Wankhede’s defamation lawsuit seeking removal of scenes from the Netflix series B**ds of Bollywood, produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment.
Wankhede has claimed that certain scenes in the show mock and ridicule him, and therefore must be taken down. After hearing detailed arguments from all sides, the Court has reserved its verdict.
Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar, appearing for Netflix, argued that the amended plaint filed by Wankhede was not maintainable and that the Delhi High Court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the matter. Red Chillies Entertainment supported this stand and made similar submissions before the Court.
Intermediaries — X, Google, and Meta — placed their written submissions on record, but the Court pointed out that they are not parties to the case and that even the users who posted the comments in question have not been added as parties.
On the other side, Senior Advocate J Sai Deepak, representing Sameer Wankhede, argued that the officer’s reputation has suffered the most in Delhi. He relied on Section 19 of the CPC to assert that the Delhi High Court has territorial jurisdiction because
“tweets and publications could be read in Delhi.”
He highlighted that Wankhede had been subjected to targeted portrayal, previous media coverage, and emphasised that
“the actor portraying him admitted acting as ‘Sameer Wankhede.’”
Deepak further submitted that Wankhede was not seeking a blanket ban on the web series. Instead, he was asking for only those specific scenes to be removed which directly mock or humiliate him, saying that such content has caused “irreparable harm.”
Senior Advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul concluded the arguments on behalf of Red Chillies Entertainment, once again raising jurisdictional issues and supporting Netflix’s stand.
With all sides heard, the Delhi High Court has now reserved its judgment in the matter.
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