The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Maharashtra and Assam governments on a petition filed by YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani seeking to quash or transfer to Mumbai an FIR registered against him in Guwahati for allegedly promoting obscenity in an online show.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice and tagged Chanchlani’s plea with influencer Ranveer Allahbadia’s pending petition.
The bench noted that Chanchlani had already been granted bail, a fact acknowledged by his counsel, who argued against the registration of multiple FIRs for the same show. The court stated that it was already examining the issue and tagged his plea accordingly.
On February 18, the Supreme Court had granted interim protection from arrest to podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia over his remarks on a YouTube show. The court described the comments as “vulgar,” stating that he had a “dirty mind” and that his words had brought shame to society.
Allahbadia, widely known as BeerBiceps, faced multiple FIRs across various states, including Maharashtra and Assam, following his controversial statements about parents and sex on comedian Samay Raina’s YouTube show, “India’s Got Latent.”
Meanwhile, actor Rakhi Sawant has been summoned to appear before the Maharashtra cyber cell on February 27 to record her statement in connection with the case against Allahbadia. Although Sawant was not a panellist on the episode in which Allahbadia appeared, she had previously been a guest on another episode of the show created by Samay Raina.
Chanchlani and Allahbadia have also been called by the Maharashtra cyber cell to record their statements on February 24. Additionally, comedian Samay Raina, who had failed to appear before the cyber cell on February 18, was denied an extension till March 17 and has been issued a second summons.
Inspector General Yashasvi Yadav stated that FIRs had been registered against all individuals involved in various episodes of the show.
Authorities ordered the removal of all videos under investigation and mandated the deactivation of the show’s account until the inquiry was complete. Cyber officials initially took down the first controversial video and later directed Raina to remove all related content.
According to Yadav, a total of 42 individuals, including artists, producers, and influencers, have been summoned so far in connection with the case.
“India’s Got Latent” is a YouTube show led by Samay Raina with a rotating panel of guests. The controversy surrounding Allahbadia’s remarks has led to nationwide outrage and legal action across multiple states.
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