Ex-Narcotics Bureau officer Sameer Wankhede – the centre of a massive row in October 2021 after he arrested Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, in a raid on a party on a docked cruise ship – has moved the Delhi High Court over his alleged portrayal in a web series.
The web series in question? ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood‘, a satirical series created, co-written and directed by Aryan Khan for Netflix, and starring Bobby Deol and others.
The sticking point, as far as Mr Wankhede is concerned, a scene in the first episode – a man, allegedly ‘heavily inspired’ by the former anti-drugs officer, hunts ‘people from ‘Bollywood’…who are doing drugs’.
The complaint names SRK and his production house, Red Chillies Entertainment, claims the “bad portrayal of an anti-drugs body”, and demands an eyewatering Rs 2 crore in damages.
In his statement, Mr Wankhede claimed the show had been ‘deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign his reputation in a colourable and prejudicial manner’.
READ | Sameer Wankhede vs Aryan Khan’s ‘Ba***ds Of Bollywood’ In High Court
This isn’t the only legal challenge Mr Wankhede has mounted. On September 3 he accused former model Namrata Shroff of ‘posting false and malicious content (i.e., about high-profile cases he oversaw) on social media and, thereby, causing ‘irreparable damage to his reputation’.
But let’s circle back to the Aryan Khan case, for that was what exploded all over the mainstream media in 2021, spawning conspiracy theories and passionate stories of guilt and innocence.
Aryan khan is the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan (File).
Aryan Khan and six others were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau on October 3.
With the press shining an incandescent spotlight into his personal life (and that of his famous father), the then-24-year-old spent 22 days in jail, an unimaginable environment for a young man born into wealth and privilege. He was eventually released on bail on October 31.
There were several headline points in all of the controversy, and there was plenty of that, including whispers over SRK’s son being forced to spend an additional night in jail after the court’s bail order failed to reach Mumbai’s Arthur Road prison in time for his release on Oct 30.
In between his bail plea was rejected twice; the first time by a magistrate’s court and the second time by a special narcotics court. Finally it was the Bombay High Court that gave him release.
The case itself featured several drama-filled moments; indeed, many Bollywood blockbusters could have been scripted (and may still be) from those. Perhaps the highlight was that the authorities eventually found no drugs on Aryan Khan’s person or in his possession.
Aryan Khan spent 22 days in jail before the Bombay High Court released him (File).
He was later cleared of all charges. In fact, the NCB itself – this time a team led by SK Singh – acknowledged the ‘lack of evidence’ and punched holes into Sameer Wankhede’s investigation.
Instead, it was Mr Wankhede and his investigation team that faced questions, over their handling of the case and apparent targeting of Aryan Khan. Rumours of a political angle to the conspiracy soon emerged – that SRK’s son had been targeted because he was SRK’s son.
There were also reports Mr Wankhede demanded crores in bribes to release the young man.
An investigation was launched into the former NCB officer, who vehemently denied all the allegations and called his prosecution ‘politically motivated’. He even showed text messages – supposedly from Shah Rukh Khan – to show how fair and above-board he had been in the case.
The investigation continues to this day, and, in true Bollywood style, has more than its share of twists and turns. This includes the NCB shunting out the officer who was leading the inquiry, a transfer the agency called ‘routine’ and that the earlier officer had completed his tenure.
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