The Supreme Court on Friday, February 21, issued a notice on YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani’s plea seeking the clubbing of multiple FIRs registered against him for alleged obscenity in an episode of India’s Got Latent. The petition calls for the transfer of all cases to Mumbai.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh tagged Chanchlani’s plea with a similar petition filed by co-accused Ranveer Allahabadia. The FIRs, filed in Guwahati, Mumbai, and Jaipur, stem from complaints over remarks made in an episode featuring Chanchlani, Allahabadia, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Makhija. The show, hosted by comedian Samay Raina, sparked outrage on social media, leading to widespread criticism.
Initially, Chanchlani had approached the Gauhati High Court for anticipatory bail, arguing that the controversial remarks were made by guest panelist Allahabadia and that he had no role in editing or post-production. The High Court granted him interim anticipatory bail earlier this week, directing him to appear before investigators within 10 days.
The controversy escalated after video clips from the episode went viral. Facing backlash, Raina deleted all episodes of India’s Got Latent and issued a public apology. Allahabadia also apologized, admitting his comments were inappropriate.
On February 10, Assam Police registered an FIR against five YouTubers under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), IT Act, Cinematograph Act, and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. The complaint, filed by Alok Boruah, accused them of promoting obscenity and engaging in explicit discussions.
The Maharashtra Cyber Department and Jaipur Police have also filed cases related to the controversy. The Supreme Court, while granting interim protection to Allahabadia, criticized his language as “dirty” and “perverted” and sought the Union government’s response on the lack of regulation for online content.
Chanchlani’s plea is now under the Supreme Court’s consideration as the legal battle unfolds.