Former Mumbai NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, on October 11, spoke about the defamation case he has filed against Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix. While speaking to news agency ANI, the former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer claimed that his family has been receiving hate messages from Pakistan, the UAE, and Bangladesh.

Wankhede said that his family has nothing to do with his profession or the case and asked, “Why are they feeling the brunt of these kinds of things?”

In addition, he also informed reporters that his sister and wife have been receiving threats. “Hate messages are coming from Pakistan, the UAE, and Bangladesh. I will not accept that because of me, they are facing the brunt of it,” he said.

He further added, “We have regularly informed the police about the threats that my sister and wife keep getting.”

Wankhede also said that he filed the case as it was about his self-respect, personal dignity, and honour, stating, “Whatever satire or parody you create, do it with your own people.”

He added that he would fight the legal battle as far as possible, saying, “I am a loyal soldier of the Government of India. There are numerous checks and balances in our system, and there is a proper rule book — the Constitution — according to which we work. One person does not make the decisions here. Everything has been done according to the rules and regulations. It is not about any publicity; it is about dignity. The kind of hate messages I have been getting, no self-respecting man will remain silent on it. I will fight this legal battle to whatever extent possible.”

Calling drug abuse a major issue for the nation, he further said, “By highlighting such things, you’re insulting not just one person but those who have worked with me, and others who fight against drug abuse.”

The case pertains to Aryan Khan’s web series, ‘The Ba**ds of Bollywood’*. The former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer has claimed that a character in the series bears a striking resemblance to him and has alleged that the show was “deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign his reputation.”

Wankhede has filed a ₹2 crore defamation case against Aryan Khan, Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd (owned by Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan), and Netflix.

After filing the ₹2 crore defamation case, Wankhede told PTI, “I don’t want to comment on this. I will just say one thing — Satyamev Jayate (Truth alone triumphs).”

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday reserved its order on a plea filed by Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty seeking protection of his personality rights and an injunction against unauthorised use of his name, image, and likeness on social media and various websites.

A single-judge bench of Justice Arif S Doctor briefly heard arguments from senior advocate Birendra Saraf, representing the 64-year-old actor, and remarked that “it is scary what people can do with the unregulated use of AI on social media.” The court is expected to pass an ex parte ad-interim order in due course.

Shetty, who has acted in over 100 films, has filed a commercial intellectual property rights infringement suit against several social media platforms, websites, and unknown persons (John Doe defendants) for what he described as “extensive and ongoing infringement and unauthorised commercial exploitation” of his persona.

The plea highlights that his photographs and deepfake images, including those with his grandchild, were being used for commercial gain by real estate agencies, gambling and astrology websites, and merchandise sellers — all without his consent or authorisation.

Some of these instances involve AI-generated content, including deepfake videos and counterfeit merchandise like T-shirts and posters featuring his image.

Saraf submitted that such unauthorised usage and impersonation dilute the actor’s reputation, goodwill, and contractual commitments with third parties. “The infringement acts are causing irreparable harm to the plaintiff’s immense goodwill built carefully over the years,” the plea stated.

It further argued that the business models of such websites were designed to unlawfully monetise Shetty’s persona and “debase the goodwill and reputation that the plaintiff has cultivated over many years.”

The actor has sought a permanent injunction restraining all defendants from misusing his personality rights — including his name, image, likeness, voice, or any other attributes — in any form, especially through AI-generated or deepfake content.

He has also sought directions to take down infringing content and prohibit the manufacture or sale of counterfeit merchandise using his likeness.

Justice Doctor had earlier, while granting interim relief to singer Asha Bhosle in a similar plea, observed that using AI tools to imitate a celebrity’s voice without consent violates their personal rights.

Mumbai, Oct 8: The Delhi High Court has issued summons to Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., and Netflix owned by Shah Rukh Khan, with regards to the civil defamation suit filed by IRS officer, Sameer Wankhede. The suit was instituted on 8th October 2025.

Sameer has alleged defamation in a malicious content published and circulated through the web series ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, which has gravely tarnished the reputation, dignity, and public image of Sameer and his family.

The issuance of summons reflects the Court’s prima facie satisfaction that the allegations warrant judicial examination. The next date of hearing has been fixed, and the proceedings will continue in accordance with law. In the earlier hearing the Court had questioned Wankhede as to how the suit was maintainable in Delhi and asked him to amend his plaint disclosing appropriate reasons.

The lawsuit names Red Chillies Entertainment Private Limited, Netflix, X Corp (formerly Twitter), Google LLC, Meta Platforms, RPG Lifestyle Media Private Limited and John Doe as defendants.

Sameer Wankhede has claimed that the webseries has deliberately biased and defamatory content against him. He also alleged that the Sameer Wankhede and Aryan Khan case is currently pending in the Bombay High Court and a special NDPS court in Mumbai.

He alleged that a character in the web series is shown saying, “Satyamev Jayate” and immediately after that the character is seen making an obscene gesture. It is an insult to the slogan which is part of the national emblem and is an offence punishable under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.

Sameer has sought Rs. 2 crores as damages which will be donated to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the treatment of Cancer patients. The suit has been filed seeking permanent and mandatory injunction against the production house and others, against the allegedly “false, malicious, and defamatory video” broadcasted in the series.

It has also been alleged that the content of the series violates various sections of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code as it attempts to hurt national sentiments by using obscene and objectionable content.