SC SLAMS YOUTUBER RANVEER ALLAHABADIA AS ‘PERVERTED,’ STAYS ARREST IN OBSCENITY FIRS:

On Tuesday, February 18, the Supreme Court granted interim protection from arrest to YouTuber Ranveer Allahabadia, widely known as Beer Biceps, in connection with FIRs registered against him in Mumbai, Guwahati, and Jaipur. The FIRs accuse him of obscenity over remarks he made during an episode of the show India's Got Latent. This temporary relief prevents authorities from taking coercive action against him while legal proceedings continue.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued the interim order while also serving notice to the respondents—the Union of India, the State of Maharashtra, and the State of Assam—regarding the writ petition filed by Ranveer Allahabadia challenging the multiple FIRs. The court further directed that no additional FIRs shall be registered against Allahabadia in connection with the India's Got Latent episode.

The interim protection granted to Allahabadia is subject to the following conditions:

(i) That he shall join the investigation as and when summoned by the Investigating Officers;

(ii) That he shall fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation and not be accompanied by any counsel inside police station(s) during investigation;

(iii) That he shall deposit his passport with the Investigating Officer at Thane police station;

(iv) That he shall not leave the country without permission from the Supreme Court; and

(v) That he or his associates shall not air any other show till further orders.

The bench also granted YouTuber Ranveer Allahabadia the liberty to approach the local police in Maharashtra and Assam for protection of his life and personal safety in case of any threats. This measure aims to ensure that he can participate in the investigation without fear.

While the Supreme Court provided interim relief, Justice Surya Kant strongly criticized Allahabadia during the hearing, condemning the language he used as “dirty” and “perverted.” The judge expressed serious disapproval of the nature of his remarks, highlighting concerns over their appropriateness.

Justice Surya Kant directly questioned Advocate Dr. Abhinav Chandrachud, who was representing Ranveer Allahabadia, asking, "Are you defending this kind of language?" In response, Chandrachud acknowledged that he personally found Allahabadia's language "disgusting." However, he argued that the key issue was whether the remarks legally qualified as a criminal offense. To support his argument, he cited the judgment in the Apoorva Arora case, which held that the mere use of profanity does not automatically amount to obscenity.

Justice Surya Kant appeared unconvinced by the argument. "If this is not obscenity, then what is? Does the judgment in the Apoorva Arora case grant a license to say anything one pleases?" he questioned.

When Advocate Dr. Abhinav Chandrachud pointed out that Ranveer Allahabadia was facing multiple FIRs, Justice Kant clarified that, as of that date, only two FIRs had been officially registered—one in Mumbai, Allahabadia’s hometown, and another in Guwahati. In response, Chandrachud stated that, to his knowledge, a third FIR had been filed in Jaipur and that complaints were emerging across the country. He referred to the TT Antony case judgment to argue that multiple FIRs should not be registered for the same offense. However, Justice Kant countered that the FIRs pertained to different statements and contained distinct elements, making them separate legal matters.

"The dirty language, humiliating FIR used against the persons of Arunachal Pradesh is the subject of the other FIR," said Justice Kant.

"There is something very dirty in his mind, which has been vomited by him in the program...He is insulting parents also. Why should the Courts favor him?" the judge further asked.

Chandrachud also referred to the Nupur Sharma case, arguing that the Court had granted her relief despite her statement being "much worse." He further emphasized that his client, Ranveer Allahabadia, was receiving death threats. In response, Justice Kant, while not condoning such threats in any manner, stated that it was the responsibility of the State to handle the situation and ensure security.

"If you can try to attain cheap publicity by saying these kind of things, there might be others also who might want to get cheap publicity by making threats," the judge commented.

"The words which you have used, parents will feel shamed. Sisters and daughters will feel ashamed. Entire society will feel shamed. It shows a perverted mind," Justice Kant opined on Allahabadia's comments.

Justice Kant remarked that the bench was not detached from reality and was aware of the source from which Allahabadia had copied his objectionable question. However, he noted that in other societies where such content is aired, precautions like disclaimers or content warnings are in place—something seemingly absent in the India's Got Latent episode.

In response, Chandrachud clarified that the show was restricted to paid adult subscribers and that the controversy arose after a 10-second clip from the 45-minute episode was leaked on social media. After hearing the arguments, the Court issued notice and sought responses from the respondents.

The controversy surrounding Ranveer Allahabadia stems from remarks he made during an episode of comedian Samay Raina’s YouTube show, India's Got Latent.

The episode featured YouTube personalities Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Makhija alongside Allahabadia and Raina. When video clips from the episode went viral on social media, they sparked widespread outrage, leading to mass criticism of Allahabadia and Raina. In response, Raina issued a public apology and deleted all episodes of India's Got Latent from his YouTube channel, while Allahabadia also apologized, acknowledging that his comments were inappropriate.

On February 10, Guwahati Police registered an FIR against five YouTubers and content creators for “promoting obscenity and engaging in sexually explicit and vulgar discussions.” Additionally, the Maharashtra Cyber Department and Jaipur Police reportedly filed cases related to the controversy.

On February 14, Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud brought up the petition before Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who acknowledged that a hearing date had already been set. Although Chandrachud expressed concern over possible coercive action by Assam police, the CJI did not provide further remarks.

Notably, in 2024, Allahabadia was honored with the Disruptor of the Year award at the National Creators Award by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.