Delhi High Court Issues Notice to Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued summons to Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, their production company Red Chillies Entertainment, and OTT platform Netflix.

Bollywood's King Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan appear to be facing increasing difficulties. The Delhi High Court today issued a notice to Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment, and the OTT platform Netflix in a defamation case. This notice is based on a petition filed by former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede, who has sought ₹2 crore in damages, calling the web series 'The Ba***ds Boys of Bollywood' damaging to his reputation.

The next hearing in the case will be on October 30

The court has directed all parties to file their responses within seven days, while the next hearing in the case has been scheduled for October 30. This dispute began when a character resembling Sameer Wankhede was portrayed negatively in the web series, released on September 18, which is allegedly inspired by the 2021 Aryan Khan drugs case.

Full details of the case

Sameer Wankhede, who is currently in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), has alleged in his petition that the series is an intentional attempt to tarnish his image. He claimed that he and his supporters were insulted in the series, and the content was obscene, provocative, and offensive to national sentiments. Wankhede stated that this content was created with the intention of harming his professional reputation, while the Aryan Khan case is still pending before the Bombay High Court and Mumbai's NDPS Special Court.

Red Chillies Entertainment, a company owned by Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, produced the series, while Netflix streamed it. Wankhede has made several parties, including Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Red Chillies, and Netflix, parties to the petition. The court took the matter seriously by issuing the notice during the initial hearing itself.

Controversy related to the Aryan Khan case

This controversy is linked to the high-profile drugs case of 2021, in which Shah Rukh's son Aryan Khan was detained by the NCB on a cruise ship while travelling from Kolkata to Mumbai. Sameer Wankhede was the Zonal Director of the NCB at that time. Although Aryan was later acquitted, Wankhede also faced several allegations, including caste discrimination and procedural violations. This new controversy has now become a topic of discussion in the Bollywood and legal circles.