Overview
- Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav held that the Delhi High Court lacks territorial jurisdiction and returned the plaint for filing before a competent forum.
- The court confined its order to jurisdiction and did not examine whether the challenged scenes amount to defamation or any statutory offence, with pending applications dismissed.
- Sameer Wankhede’s suit targeted Episode 1 between 32:02 and 33:50, alleged a lookalike portrayal, objected to a sequence pairing ‘Satyamev Jayate’ with a middle finger gesture, and sought ₹2 crore in damages to be donated to Tata Memorial.
- Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix argued the case must be heard in Mumbai, said the show is a fictional satire that does not recreate the 2021 cruise raid, and cited the high bar for defamation at an interlocutory stage.
- The series remains available on Netflix, and Wankhede indicated he will pursue the matter in the proper forum.