Delhi HC: No Jurisdiction to Hear Wankhede’s Defamation Plea Over Ba***ds of Bollywood

The Delhi High Court on Thursday, January 29, 2026, said it has no territorial jurisdiction to hear IRS officer Sameer Wankhede's defamation suit against The Ba***ds of Bollywood, a web series produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment and streamed on Netflix. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav noted that a plaint of this nature must be heard in a court with territorial jurisdiction, and returned the case to the plaintiff to file before such a court.

Wankhede had alleged the series, created by Aryan Khan, was designed to settle personal scores over his role in Aryan Khan's 2021 Narcotics Control Bureau raid and to malign him. He sought damages of ₹2 crore, to be donated to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital.

The officer argued that the content includes a scene in which a character makes an obscene gesture after reciting 'Satyamev Jayate', claiming it violates the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. The court did not adjudicate the merits of the defamation claim, but directed that the plaint be presented in a court with proper jurisdiction.

This order highlights the ongoing tension between entertainment media and public figures in India, where defamation suits and content challenges frequently intersect with questions of jurisdiction and national symbols. The case is likely to reemerge in a court with proper authority, where Wankhede can pursue his remedies.

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