New Delhi:

The Supreme Court is set to hear YouTuber and Podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia’s petition today, seeking the clubbing of multiple cases filed against him over his controversial remarks made on comedian Samay Raina’s show ‘India’s Got Latent’. A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh is expected to take up the case today.

The hearing has been scheduled after Allahbadia, who is facing police inquiries, moved the Supreme Court last week asking the FIRs against him to be combined. He also sought anticipatory bail to ward off arrest from Guwahati Police. Last week, Allahbadia’s lawyer, Abhinav Chandrachud – the son of former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud – sought an urgent listing of the matter in the top court. However, the request was turned down by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

Several FIRs have been filed against Allahbadia aka ‘BeerBiceps Guy’ in Maharashtra, Assam, and Jaipur – following which he has been asked to appear in person to record statements. He is yet to respond to investigation agencies after being named in FIRs filed by Maharashtra Cyber Department, Guwahati Police, and Jaipur Police in the ‘India’s Got Latent’ case, the police said.

Days after trying to get in touch with the Podcaster, the Mumbai and Guwahati police issued a joint statement on Monday saying Allahbadia has continuously been out of contact with the investigation agencies.

“Apart from Maharashtra Cyber and Guwahati Police, the Jaipur Police have also filed a case against Ranveer Allahbadia, but he has not yet been in contact with them too. Maharashtra Cyber Department has ordered Ranveer to appear before it on February 24,” it said.

Last week, officials went to look for Allahbadia at his Mumbai residence, but his apartment was locked.

Allahbadia was also supposed to appear before the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday morning, but as with the summons from Mumbai Police, he skipped the call. He has been summoned again by the women’s panel on March 6.

The Podcaster has cited death threats for not being able to appear before the investigating agencies. Posting a statement on social media, Allahbadia said, “I am watching death threats pour in from people saying they want to kill me… hurt my family…Some even tried to invade my other’s clinic posing as patients.”

“I am feeling scared and I don’t know what to do… But I am not running away. I have full faith in the police and the judicial system of India,” he added.

‘India’s Got Latent’ row

A huge row broke out after Allahbadia made distasteful comments about parents and sex on Raina’s show ‘India’s Got Latent’. The remarks sparked massive outrage and a debate in Parliament, leading to multiple complaints against the social media personality.

Cases have been filed against other YouTubers who appeared on the show including Raina, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Mukhija.

Hours after the episode was taken down from YouTube, Raina issued a statement saying he had removed all videos of the show from his channel and was “fully cooperating” with the authorities. “Everything that has been happening has been too much for me to handle. I have removed all India’s Got Latent videos from my channel. My only objective was to make people laugh and have a good time. I will fully cooperate with all agencies to ensure their inquiries are concluded fairly. Thank you,” he said.

Allahbadia also apologised in a video saying his comments were not “just inappropriate but also not even funny”.

“Comedy is not my forte, I am just here to say sorry,” he said in a video message. He also acknowledged he had misused his platform. “I am not going to give any context or justification or reasoning behind whatever happened. I am just here for an apology. I personally had a lapse in judgment. It wasn’t cool on my part,” he said.

Mumbai:

The row over podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia’s remarks shows no signs of dying down, as more police complaints are filed and demands for strict action become louder. Another section, however, feels the outrage is selective.

Actor Mukesh Khanna, famous for his superhero character Shaktimaan and playing the role of Bhishma Pitamah in Mahabharat, has reacted to Ranveer Allahbadia’s inappropriate jokes and remarks during his appearance on comedian Samay Raina’s ‘India’s Got Latest’ show. Allahbadia, known for his channel Beer Biceps, sparked controversy after asking a contestant a question that shocked the participants and triggered a massive row. “Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever,” he asked during the latest episode of the show, which also featured content creators like Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh and Apoorva Mukhija, who goes by the name “The Rebel Kid” on Instagram.

Many celebrities, politicians, singers and comedians have reacted to the ongoing controversy. Among those weighing in, Mukesh Khanna also called out the comedians and urged the government to put them to shame. Sharing his views on his YouTube channel ‘Bheeshm International’, the actor said, “This is a serious offence. It should not be taken lightly”. 

“Someone asked me what do you think should be done. I said, ‘You should hold him and beat him. Make him sit on a donkey with his face painted black and make him tour the nation,'” he added. 

Mr Khanna further went on to say that the “problem is the youth today has been given too much liberty in the name of ‘Freedom of Expression'”. 

“There needs to be a limit to everything, even freedom of expression. I saw the video. He made a shameful statement, and all of them present around him, they all laughed. Nobody cared to object to him. Main agar Shaktimaan hota toh ise pakad ke antariksh mein fek deta. (If I were Shaktimaan, I would drag him and throw him in the galaxy),” the actor concluded.

Ranveer Allahbadia’s Controversy

It all started after Allahbadia, along with Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh and Apoorva Mukhija, appeared as a judge in Samay Raina’s show. He put a contestant on the spot with an unsettling question that many social media users appalled. “Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day or join them to finish it once and for all?” he asked. The question even surprised even Samay Raina. “What the f***?” he said.

After the question sparked a wave of backlash against Allahbadia, the 31-year-old issued an apology saying he “shouldn’t have said what he said”. “My comment was not just inappropriate, it was not even funny. Comedy is not my forte. I’m sorry,” he said in a video statement Monday.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been filed against Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina, Apoorva Mukhija, and India’s Got Latent for “allegedly using abusive language on the show”. The episode featuring the comments by Ranveer Allahbadia has been taken down on YouTube and a Parliamentary panel on information technology is discussing whether to summon the podcaster.