SC Grants Interim Protection to Ranveer Allahbadia, Bars Him from Airing Content
The Supreme Court granted interim protection from arrest to podcaster and YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia in multiple FIRs registered against him for comments made on the YouTube show India’s Got Latent. However, the court also imposed strict conditions, barring him from airing any content until further orders and directing him to surrender his passport.
Allahbadia, known for his channel BeerBiceps, appeared on the show alongside Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Makhija. His remarks sparked outrage, leading to FIRs in Maharashtra, Assam, and other complaints across the country. During the hearing, Justice Surya Kant, presiding over a two-judge bench with Justice N K Singh, condemned his language, calling it "vulgar" and "shameful" to society. The court expressed concerns over vulgarity in social media content and sought the government's intervention, asking the Attorney General and Solicitor General to be present at the next hearing.
The court ordered that no new FIRs be registered against Allahbadia based on this issue and allowed him to seek police protection in case of threats. However, he must cooperate with the investigation and refrain from creating new content. The ruling stated that his words reflected a "perverted mind" and questioned the moral and legal standards of vulgarity in public content.
His lawyer, Abhinav Chandrachud, admitted being personally "disgusted" by the remarks but argued they might not meet the legal definition of vulgarity. He cited previous Supreme Court rulings, which held that mere profanity does not constitute vulgarity unless it aggravates sexual thoughts in a reasonable person.
Despite this, the court maintained a strong stance, stating that public figures must act responsibly. It noted that while adult content is permitted in some countries with proper warnings, Allahbadia’s show had no such safeguards apart from a paid subscription.
As part of the court’s conditions, Allahbadia must deposit his passport with Thane police and cannot travel abroad without permission. His interim protection from arrest remains subject to his cooperation with authorities. The next hearing will determine further legal actions and broader regulatory measures for social media content.
