On Tuesday, the Supreme Court provided temporary relief from coercive actions for YouTube influencer and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia in relation to several FIRs filed against him due to purportedly inappropriate remarks made on comedian Samay Raina’s show, India’s Got Latent. The court expressed strong disapproval of his statements and established specific limitations during the consideration of his request. A panel of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh examined Allahbadia's appeal to consolidate various FIRs lodged against him in locations including Maharashtra, Assam, and Jaipur. He also requested anticipatory bail to circumvent arrest by the Guwahati Police. During proceedings, Justice Kant commented, "Popularity does not grant you the right to disregard societal norms. Would anyone willingly accept this type of language? There is something extremely offensive in his thoughts that has been expressed.”
While the court allowed Allahbadia to evade immediate detention, it mandated that he surrender his passport to the Thane police station and prohibited him from leaving the country without prior consent. Additionally, the Supreme Court barred him from producing any more YouTube content while the matter is pending. His comments on India’s Got Latent, which were deemed offensive concerning parents and sex, sparked significant public backlash, resulting in several FIRs against him from the Maharashtra Cyber Department, Guwahati Police, and Jaipur Police, all of which have requested his attendance for interviews. Nevertheless, officials report that he has not yet engaged with the investigative authorities.
On Monday, a joint communication from the Mumbai and Guwahati police indicated that Allahbadia had been unresponsive and unreachable. “In addition to the Maharashtra Cyber and Guwahati Police, the Jaipur Police have also initiated a case against Ranveer Allahbadia, but he remains out of contact with them. The Maharashtra Cyber Department has instructed him to report on February 24,” the announcement stated. Police had previously visited his residence in Mumbai; however, his apartment was locked. Furthermore, Allahbadia was expected to attend a meeting with the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday morning but did not appear. The women’s panel has subsequently issued another summons for him to appear on March 6.
Allahbadia has reported receiving death threats, which he cited as the reason for his absence from a meeting with the authorities. He expressed in a social media update, “I am receiving an influx of threats where individuals are claiming they want to kill me and harm my family... Some went as far as trying to enter my mother’s clinic while pretending to be patients.” Even though he has these concerns, he emphasized that he is not evading responsibility and expressed his complete confidence in the police and legal system of India. Following the public outcry, he released an apology, acknowledging that his earlier statements were not proper. “Comedy isn’t my strength; I just want to apologize. I made an error in judgment and my behavior was not acceptable,” he conveyed in a video.
The situation ignited controversy after the airing of India’s Got Latent, which showcased a number of YouTubers including Allahbadia, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Mukhija, who are now under legal examination. After the segment was taken down from YouTube, Raina announced that he had removed all related videos from his channel and is cooperating fully with the authorities. “I have deleted all videos associated with India’s Got Latent from my channel. My only goal was to entertain and bring joy. I will ensure complete cooperation with all agencies to guarantee that their investigations are conducted properly,” Raina mentioned. Legal actions against Allahbadia and the other YouTubers are ongoing as inquiries continue.
