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.

New Delhi:

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a new hearing date for ‘India’s Got Latent’ Youtubers including Ranveer Allahbadia and Samay Raina after they failed to appear in response to its summons regarding crass remarks made on their show. The women’s panel had summoned Ranveer Allahabadia, Samay Raina, Apoorva Mukhija, Jaspreet Singh, Ashish Chanchlani, Tushar Poojari, Saurabh Bothra and Balraj Ghai, to appear before it today at noon.

However, all the creators failed to appear before the panel citing concerns over personal safety, prior travel commitments, and other logistical challenges.

Ranveer Allahbadia, citing death threats had requested the commission to postpone the hearing for three weeks. He has now been summoned before the panel on March 6. Similarly, Apoorva Mukhija had expressed safety concerns and requested the panel to appear virtually. However, the panel denied her request and issued a fresh date of March 6 to appear before it.

Samay Raina, who is currently on a pre-planned tour to the US, assured the commission that he will appear for a hearing once he returns to India. The commission accepted his request and rescheduled the hearing for March 11. Comedian Jaspreet Singh is also on a pre-planned tour in Paris and will return by March 10. He has also been asked to appear before the panel on March 11.

Ashish Chanchlani, whose lawyer appeared on his behalf citing illness, has been granted a rescheduled hearing on March 6.

Producer of the show ‘India’s Got Latent’, Balraj Ghai, informed the commission that he is currently out of India and will respond once he returns. To this, the commission has rescheduled the hearing on March 11. The other two producers – Tushar Poojari and Saurabh Bothra – did not respond to the summons, drawing condemnation from the panel. They have been summoned again to reappear on March 6.

Additionally, Maharashtra Cyber Cell had asked Raina to record his statement in person on February 18. However, since the YouTuber is on a tour in the US, he filed a petition saying he would not be able to return to India before March 17. The Cyber Cell has refused the petition.

‘India’s Got Latent’ row

A huge row broke out after YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, known as ‘BeerBiceps’, made distasteful comments about parents and sex on Raina’s show ‘India’s Got Latent’. The remarks sparked massive outrage, leading to multiple complaints against the social media personality.

Earlier this week, teams of Mumbai and Assam police visited Allahbadia’s home to record his statement, but they found it locked. A day later, Allahbadia issued a statement on social media saying he has been cooperating with the police and all other authorities and “will be available to all the agencies”. He also mentioned that he has been getting death threats.

Raina also 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.

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Cyber Cell has refused the plea of YouTuber Samay Raina to allow him to record his statement in the ‘India’s Got Latent’ controversy via video-conferencing.

Raina in his plea said that he is currently in the US and won’t be able to return to India before March 17 due to prior commitments.

Maharashtra Cyber Cell said that Raina has been asked to record his statement in person on February 18.

Raina hosted show ‘India’s Got Latent’ got embroiled in controversy over comments made by podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia.

During the show, he asked a contestant, “Would you rather watch your parents… or join in once and stop it forever?”
Following a massive backlash, a formal complaint was filed against Ranveer Allahbadia, social media influencer Apoorva Makhija, comedian Samay Raina, and the organizers of ‘India’s Got Latent.’

Samay later took to his Instagram Stories to share a statement, stating that he had removed all videos of the show from his channel and was “fully cooperating” with the authorities. He also added that his only intention was to entertain people.

“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,” Samay wrote on his Instagram Story.

On Friday, the Youtuber and Podcaster approached the Supreme Court seeking to club multiple FIRs lodged against him across India over his recent inappropriate comments during his guest appearance on a show ‘India’s Got Latent’.

Senior advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, appearing for Allahbadia, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna requesting an urgent hearing in the case.

Advocate Chandrachud told the bench that multiple FIRs were registered against him, and Assam Police summoned him on Friday. CJI Khanna said he does not allow oral mentionings and clarified that a listing of the case date has been assigned.

On February 11, the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said the Guwahati Police had registered an FIR against YouTubers and social influencers Allahbadia, Samay Raina, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Makhija, and others for promoting obscenity and engaging in sexually explicit and vulgar discussions on India’s Got Latent.

FIRs have been registered against them in Maharashtra and Assam.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Actor Raghu Ram on Saturday said he wished the YouTube show hosted by comedian Samay Raina had not included “some jokes that caused such hurt” amid widespread outrage over podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia’s controversial remarks on an episode.

Mr Ram, who was on the judges panel in one of the episodes of the now-deleted ‘India’s Got Latent’, released an official statement two days after he appeared before the Maharashtra Cyber Department amid a probe into the show.

The news seems to have its own agenda regarding the ongoing IGL investigation. Statements I have made are being spun to make it sound different. Since their version is out, I’d like to put out mine as well: pic.twitter.com/7CSvFeEWcC

— Raghu Ram (@tweetfromRaghu) February 15, 2025

“I do not regret being part of IGL. I wish the show had not included some jokes that caused such hurt. The sensibilities of a paying audience in a show can differ from a larger YouTube audience,” he said.

“I might have kept some jokes out of the episode, but I am nobody to tell Samay or the makers what jokes to keep and which, if any, words to beep. It is their call, and I’m sure they don’t take that responsibility lightly,” Mr Ram, who was a former judge in the reality TV show Roadies, added.

He also said that freedom of speech is meaningless without the freedom to offend. 

“Offence is often taken even when none is intended. But of course, I am sorry if I have actually caused hurt to anyone,” he said.

He also said that comedians “push” boundaries, call out society and speak truth to power while entertaining. “But no comedian sets out to hurt sentiments. And they would be the first to apologise if they did.”

“I do hope society maintains a proper perspective on the scale of this issue compared to others that need more outrage,” the actor.

Mr Ram is among at least 50 people who have been summoned to record their statements.

His statement comes days after Mr Allahbadia, widely known by his online moniker “BeerBiceps”, sparked massive controversy with his remarks about parents and sex during an episode of ‘India’s Got Latent’, which also featured content creators like Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh and Apoorva Mukhija, who goes by the name “The Rebel Kid” on Instagram.

“Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?” Mr Allahbadia had asked a contestant. 

After the backlash, he offered an apology and said he “shouldn’t have said what he said”.

The Mumbai Police have so far questioned eight people, including Apoorva Makhija, Ashish Chanchalani, Mr Allahbadia’s manager and the video editor of ‘India’s Got Latent’, on a complaint filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. The city police have so far not registered any case in this connection.

Mr Raina has also been summoned by Mumbai Police and Maharashtra’s Cyber Department, which is conducting an independent investigation. He had been told to appear within five days but has asked for more time, stating he is currently in the US.

Cops Find Ranveer Allahbadia’s Mumbai Flat Locked

Teams of Mumbai and Assam police on Friday visited Ranveer Allahbadia’s Mumbai residence but found the flat locked. A police officer told news agency PTI that Mumbai law enforcement had initiated an inquiry and went to the apartment, in the city’s Versova neighbourhood, to question him.

On Thursday, Mr Allahbadia had been asked to report to the police station in Mumbai’s Khar to record his statement. However, he later requested that this be done at his home.

His request, however, was denied and after he failed to appear, the cops issued a second summons and then landed up at his home.

The cops from Assam wanted to question the 31-year-old podcaster in a case filed by a city resident, who had accused him of promoting obscene content on an online platform available to all.

Besides Mr Allahbadia and Mr Raina, others named in the case in Assam are Mr Chanchlani, Mr Singh and Ms Makhija.

Mumbai:

Actor Raghu Ram has appeared before the Maharashtra Cyber Department amid a probe into podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia’s controversial remarks on a YouTube show hosted by comedian Samay Raina.

Mr Allahbadia, widely known by his online moniker “BeerBiceps”, sparked massive outrage this week with his remarks about parents and sex during an episode of the now-deleted show ‘India’s Got Latent’, which also featured content creators like Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh and Apoorva Mukhija, who goes by the name “The Rebel Kid” on Instagram.

“Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?” Mr Allahbadia had asked a contestant. 

After the backlash, he offered an apology and blamed a lapse in judgement.

Mr Ram, who was on the judges panel in one of the episodes, allegedly told the cyber cell on Thursday that Mr Raina should have edited the abusive language used in the show, sources said.

He also confessed that he regretted using abusive language in the show.

Mumbai, Maharashtra: Film actor & judge of the show India’s Got Latent Raghu Ram left the Maharashtra Cyber Cell office after being questioned in the India’s Got Lalent case pic.twitter.com/R91TQnHqIT

— IANS (@ians_india) February 13, 2025

Mr Ram also said that he went with the flow and used swear words, but didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s feelings, sources claimed.

Mr Ram was among at least 50 people who have been summoned to record their statements.

The Mumbai Police have so far questioned eight people, including Apoorva Makhija, Ashish Chanchalani, Mr Allahbadia’s manager and the video editor of ‘India’s Got Latent’, on a complaint filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. The city police have so far not registered any case in this connection.

Mr Raina has also been summoned by Mumbai Police and Maharashtra’s Cyber Department, which is conducting an independent investigation. He had been told to appear within five days but has asked for more time, stating he is currently in the US.

Cops Find Ranveer Allahbadia’s Mumbai Flat Locked

Teams of Mumbai and Assam police on Friday visited Ranveer Allahbadia’s Mumbai residence but found the flat locked. A police officer told news agency PTI that Mumbai law enforcement had initiated an inquiry and went to the apartment, in the city’s Versova neighbourhood, to question him.

On Thursday, Mr Allahbadia had been asked to report to the police station in Mumbai’s Khar to record his statement. However, he later requested that this be done at his home.

His request, however, was denied and after he failed to appear, the cops issued a second summons and then landed up at his home.

The cops from Assam wanted to question the 31-year-old podcaster in a case filed by a city resident, who had accused him of promoting obscene content on an online platform available to all.

Besides Mr Allahbadia and Mr Raina, others named in the case in Assam are Mr Chanchlani, Mr Singh and Ms Makhija.

Lucknow:

Uttar Pradesh minister Asim Arun on Friday cautioned comedians to strike a balance between “provoking thought and maintaining respect” and said they should try to “appeal to the hearts” without resorting to “mocking” people. Arun’s remarks come amid growing scrutiny of content produced by comics and social media influencers, following a controversy over YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia’s remarks at comic Samay Raina’s now-deleted show ‘India’s Got Latent’.

Allahbadia’s clip went viral and has now snowballed into a massive controversy with potential legal action against the podcaster, Raina and a whole host of people who appeared on the show in multiple states.

In a Facebook post, Arun said comedy should not rely on ridiculing someone’s personal circumstances, appearance, or challenges. He stressed that the true challenge for artistes is to provoke thought while maintaining respect.

“When we were kids, making jokes about baldness, obesity, and similar things was very common. Fortunately, society has become more sensitive today, and such mockery has gone out of fashion. Sadly, some people have become insensitive again,” the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Social Welfare said.

The minister also noted that a YouTuber recently posted a video in which he made a joke about people with disabilities.

“Ridiculing someone’s disability, poverty, clothing, language, or appearance calls into question the very essence of an artiste’s craft. Does comedy need to rely on mocking someone’s personal situation? Can comedy only be made by saying hurtful things? The challenge for comedians is to strike a balance between being provocative and being respectful,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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.