Ranveer Allahbadia petitions SC as legal troubles mount in ‘India’s Got Latent’ row
New Delhi, Feb 14 (IANS) After multiple complaints were filed and criminal proceedings were set in action across various states against YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia over his vulgar and crass comments about parents on the comedy show ‘India’s Got Latent’, the podcaster has petitioned the Supreme Court seeking protection from coercive action.
On Friday, the writ petition filed by Ranveer Allahbadia aka BeerBiceps under Article 32 of the Constitution challenging the multiple FIRs was mentioned before CJI Sanjiv Khanna for urgent listing. However, declining to advance the scheduled hearing, CJI Khanna said, “We have already given a date of listing. No oral mentioning please!”
The episode in question, featuring Ranveer Allahbadia, was uploaded on YouTube on February 8 as part of stand-up comedian Samay Raina’s show ‘India’s Got Latent’, which has a global subscriber base of over 7.3 million.
For the unversed, Ranveer Allahbadia had asked a contestant a controversial question about their parents’ sexual relationship during a recent episode of the show. Known for its bold comedic content, the show has now become the centre of controversy and has been receiving a lot of backlash for the vulgar comedy.
Meanwhile, the Khar police in Mumbai have issued a second summons to Ranveer Allahbadia asking him to appear for questioning on Friday after he failed to appear earlier on Thursday despite being given a deadline of 3 p.m.
So far, the police have recorded statements from seven individuals, including well-known YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, content creator Apoorva Makhija, and the father of Balraj Singh Ghai, the owner of The Habitat Studio. Production manager and chief programmer Tushar Pujari, along with three other studio employees, have also provided their testimonies in the case.
The cyber cell and the Mumbai Police are conducting separate investigations in connection with Allahbadia’s remarks on Raina’s YouTube show ‘India’s Got Latent’.
An Assam Police team is also in Mumbai in connection with the investigation and met the Maharashtra cyber cell officials on Thursday.
Amid the controversy, Samay Raina on Wednesday claimed to have removed all videos of the show from YouTube, asserting that his intention was only to entertain and make people laugh.
Several complaints seeking legal actions have been filed against popular YouTubers Samay Raina, Ranveer Allahabadia, Ashish Chanchlani, and Apoorva Mukhija over allegedly obscene and offensive remarks about parents in the comedy show ‘India’s Got Latent’. A legal complaint filed in Rajasthan’s Kota by a group of lawyers claimed that the show promotes vulgarity under the guise of comedy, which they argue is an attack on India’s social and moral values. The complaint stated that such vulgar humour not only corrupts young minds but also encourages inappropriate behaviour and crimes against women.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the incident has sparked a broader debate about the limits of comedy and the responsibility of content creators on digital platforms.
–IANS
pds/dpb
