Media narrative affecting professional prospects, argues Allahbadia

Today, a Division Bench of Justices Surya Kant and N.K. Singh deferred YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia’s application seeking the release of his passport to 28 April.

Allahbadia is among five individuals booked by the Assam and Maharashtra police for allegedly airing obscene and offensive content in a YouTube show, “India’s Got Latent”. The Supreme Court had earlier granted interim protection from arrest to Allahbadia, and allowed him to resume “The Ranveer Show” on his channel. However, it had stated that the decision on releasing his passport would be taken up after the investigation in both states concludes. 

Repetitive questioning and media trials under scrutiny

Today, Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, appearing for Allahabadia, submitted that he was being subjected to repetitive questioning and media trials.

“Every time the petitioner is called for investigation, I am informed the same questions are asked. Thereafter, the Inspector General of the Cyber Cell holds a press conference where the police opine on my guilt. They even said the chargesheet is going to be filed shortly,” he said. 

To this, Justice Kant responded, “That’s their wisdom. Ultimately, whether you are guilty or not will be decided by the Court.” Chandrachud argued that, as per judicial guidelines, the police in press briefings should provide “objective information” and “not subjective opinions.”

When asked about the current status of the investigation, a counsel from Assam informed that statements of four persons were recorded from the five individuals named in the FIR. The fifth accused, Apoorva Mukhija, had been served a second notice and was scheduled to appear on Tuesday.

The Bench then turned towards the status of investigation in Maharashtra. Chandrachud interjected stating that, as per a report in The Indian Express, the Maharashtra authorities have declared that a chargesheet was ready and Allahbadia was guilty. He pointed out that the media narrative was impacting his client’s professional prospects. The counsel for Maharashtra clarified that no chargesheet had been filed yet.

Chandrachud: “It’s a form of livelihood for him”

Chandrachud reminded the Court that Allahabadia had refrained from pressing the application to release his passport based on Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s assurance that the investigation would conclude in two weeks. He referred to the Court’s order issued on 1 April which had noted that the states would conclude their investigation during that time frame. He reiterated the urgency of returning Allahbadia’s passport, noting that he frequently travels abroad due to the nature of his work. “It is a form of livelihood for him. He has to travel abroad from time to time. Even to get any guests on his show, he has to have 4 to 5 meetings,” he said. 

Justice Kant stated, “As far as the petitioner is concerned, he has been going as and when called. If any of the co-accused is not cooperating, then please let us know. We will do something.”

Appearing for both states, Mehta confirmed that the investigation in Assam would likely complete by the end of the month, provided the remaining accused cooperated. 

Justice Kant then asked: “Mr Chandrachud, do you have any idea, out of all the accused, how many have been appearing?” Chandrachud responded that Allahbadia had “nothing to do with the other” accused persons. “As far as my petitioner is concerned, Maharashtra called us on three occasions, Assam on one. We have appeared every time,” he stated. 

The Court took note of the submissions and passed the following directions, “Let the learned SG have instructions that investigation qua the petitioner is complete and that he is no longer required for further investigation. Interim protection will continue.” 

In a separate but related development, the Court also dealt with an intervention application filed by the Cure SMA Foundation of India, which flagged allegedly offensive jokes made by comedian Samay Raina on the same show, mocking blind individuals and an infant with Spinal Muscular Atrophy—a rare and severe genetic disorder. 

Justice Kant stated, “We are really disturbed by the allegations. We would like to place such instances on record… If you have video clippings along with the transcript, bring them. Implead the concerned persons. Suggest measures. Then we will see.” 

The matter is now scheduled for hearing on 28 April 2025.