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The Supreme Court on Friday (February 21) issued a notice on YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani’s plea challenging multiple FIRs registered against him for alleged obscenity linked to remarks made during an episode of the YouTube show India’s Got Latent.
Chanchlani has sought the consolidation of FIRs filed in Guwahati and Mumbai and their transfer to Mumbai.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued notices to the respondents and tagged Chanchlani’s plea with a petition filed by co-accused Ranveer Allahabadia. Initially, Chanchlani had moved the Gauhati High Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the Assam FIR. He argued that the controversial remarks were made by a guest panelist—Allahabadia—and that he had no involvement in editing or post-production of the episode.
Earlier this week, the High Court granted Chanchlani interim anticipatory bail and directed him to appear before the Investigating Officer within 10 days.
Background of the Case
The remarks in question were part of an episode of comedian Samay Raina’s YouTube show India’s Got Latent, which featured YouTube personalities Ranveer Allahabadia, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Makhija. The episode gained widespread attention after clips circulated on social media, sparking outrage. Allahabadia and Raina faced severe criticism, prompting Raina to publicly apologize and delete all episodes of the show from his YouTube channel. Allahabadia also issued an apology, acknowledging that his comments were inappropriate.
On February 10, Assam Police registered an FIR against five YouTubers and content creators, alleging they “promoted obscenity and engaged in sexually explicit and vulgar discussions.” The FIR was lodged based on a complaint by Alok Boruah, who accused Chanchlani, Singh, Makhija, Allahabadia, and Raina of engaging in offensive discussions on the show.
The FIR invoked multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including:
- Section 79 – Word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman
- Section 95 – Hiring, employing, or engaging a child to commit an offense
- Section 294 – Sale or distribution of obscene material
- Section 296 – Obscene acts and songs
Additionally, the case includes charges under Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000 (punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material electronically), along with Sections 4/7 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and Sections 4/6 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.
Following the Assam FIR, similar cases were reportedly registered by the Maharashtra Cyber Department and Jaipur Police in connection with the controversy.
Supreme Court’s Intervention
On the same day that Chanchlani received relief from the Gauhati High Court, the Supreme Court granted interim protection from arrest to Ranveer Allahabadia—also known as “Beer Biceps”—in connection with FIRs registered in Mumbai, Guwahati, and Jaipur.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Union of India, the State of Maharashtra, and the State of Assam regarding Allahabadia’s plea. Additionally, the Court has invited comments from the Union on the “vacuum” in online content regulation.
Although the Court granted interim protection, Justice Surya Kant strongly criticized Allahabadia’s language in the episode, calling it “dirty” and “perverted.”
Legal Representation
The petitioners were represented by Senior Advocate Ajay Tewari, alongside Advocates Shubham Kulshreshtha, Apoorv Srivastava, Ashish Lalwani, Satya Rath, Amitabh Tewari, Dilmirig Nayani, and Satvik Bansal. The case was filed through AoR Manju Jetley.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated live blog and has not been edited by Localtak staff.
