IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has approached the Delhi High Court, accusing Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan of defaming him through their Red Chillies Entertainment series The Ba***ds Of Bollywood.

In his plea, which also names the OTT platform Netflix, Wankhede described Aryan Khan’s debut web series as “false, malicious, and defamatory”.

He alleged the series “disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions”.

Wankhede further claimed the series has been “deliberately” conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign Sameer Wankhede’s reputation in a “colourable and prejudicial” manner.

Pointing to one particular sequence, Wankhede said, “Furthermore, the series, inter alia, depicts a character making an obscene gesture—specifically, showing a middle finger after the character recites the slogan ‘Satyamev Jayate’ which is the part of the National Emblem. This act constitutes a grave and sensitive violation of the provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which attracts penal consequences under law.”

The officer has reportedly sought damages of Rs 2 crore, adding that the sum would be donated to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the treatment of cancer patients.

The controversy stems from a scene in Aryan Khan’s directorial debut that sparked speculation online about a dig at Wankhede — the former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer who arrested Aryan in the 2021 drug case.

In the scene, an officer storms into a high-profile film party and finds a man smoking a joint. Upon discovering the man is not from Bollywood, the officer lets him go. Moments later, he detains another man — who is only sipping a drink — simply because he belongs to the film industry.