SC issues notice on Pranit More’s plea to club FIRs in ‘₹370 biriyani’ controversy

The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the States of Maharashtra and Haryana on a plea by stand-up comedian Pranit More to club FIRs registered against him in connection with the ‘₹370 biryani’ controversy.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also issued notice, along with Maharashtra and Haryana, to the Union government.

Appearing for Mr. More, advocate Vidula Mehrotra submitted that the controversy broke out after misogynistic remarks made by a member of the audience in his show. The counsel said her client was only the host, but rendered a public apology. The PR team had not consulted him before publishing the video. He had been travelling at the time, and had already deleted the video.

“I understand the gravity. I am ready to face trial. I deleted the video,” the counsel submitted.

The Maharashtra Cyber Police had registered an FIR against Mr. More, the member of the audience, Himanshu Jangra, and another person under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with that of the Information Technology Act.

The comedian had also been summoned by the National Commission for Women (NCW), which took cognisance of the viral video. Public outrage had spread over the remarks, which seemed to glorify coercive behaviour towards women, and the host’s alleged reaction of laughing to the comments.

A separate petition had been filed by an advocate in reference to the controversy over Mr. More’s show which had been held in Gurugram. This plea had sought the formulation of a comprehensive regulatory framework for stand-up comedy, podcasts, social media platforms and AI-generated content.