NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to actor Shah Rukh Khan, his company Red Chillies Entertainment, and Netflix in a defamation suit filed by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede. The petition alleges that Wankhede’s reputation was tarnished in the series The Ba*ds of Bollywood.
Justice Purushinder Kumar Kaurav, hearing the matter, directed Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Netflix, X Corp (formerly Twitter), Google LLC, Meta Platforms, RPSG Lifestyle Media Pvt Ltd, and John Doe to file their responses within seven days. The court has scheduled the next hearing for October 30.
The court also asked the defendants to respond to Wankhede’s plea seeking removal of allegedly defamatory content from multiple websites.
In his petition, Wankhede claimed the series presents a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-narcotics enforcement agencies, eroding public trust in law enforcement. He alleged that the show was produced with the intention of tarnishing his image, especially in the context of the Adhikari and Aryan Khan case, which was transferred to the Bombay High Court.
Wankhede has demanded Rs 2 crore in compensation, which he plans to donate to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for cancer patients.
