India’s Got Latent Row: SC Orders Release Of YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia’s Passport

Ranveer Allahbadia has been permitted to submit an application to the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Bureau for the release of his passport.

File photo of the YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia.

Source : X/@BeerBicepsGuy

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the release of the passport of the YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia. The directive comes after his passport was seized, resulting in a ban from flying out of the country following the apex court hearing over his controversial remarks on comedian Samay Raina's show ‘India’s Got Latent'.

In addition, the Maharashtra and Assam Police also announced that the investigation against Ranveer Allahbadia has been completed. However, the probe against the other accused is still underway.

As per the PTI report, Ranveer Allahbadia has been permitted to submit an application to the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Bureau for the release of his passport, enabling him to travell abroad for work purposes.

During the same hearing, the Supreme Court also scheduled a hearing for a new petition filed by the SMA Cure Foundation against Samay Raina, concerning his alleged remarks mocking disabled individuals. The matter will be heard next Monday, May 5.

The relief, granted by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, follows confirmation from the Assam and Maharashtra governments that their investigations into Allahbadia in India’s Got Latent case have concluded, PTI reported.

In a further development, the court informed Allahbadia’s lawyer, Abhinav Chandrachud, that his request to consolidate multiple FIRs filed against the YouTuber over comments made during Raina’s show will be considered in the next hearing.

Supreme Court Reprimanded Allahbadia On February 18

The apex court reprimanded Allahbadia over his obscene remarks during comedian Samay Raina’s popular YouTube show on February 18 and banned him from flying abroad. He was also prohibited from streaming any new episodes of his podcast amid his hearing.

Allahbadia came under fire for his comments about parents and sex, which attracted widespread outrage. The controversy eventually escalated into a legal dispute and resulted in the shutdown of the show.

In a subsequent hearing on March 3, the Supreme Court allowed Allahbadia to continue broadcasting his podcast, The Ranveer Show, provided he adhered to standards of "morality and decency."

Besides Allahbadia, FIRs were also registered against other participants from the controversial India’s Got Latent episode, including comedians Samay Raina, Jaspreet Singh, YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, and content creator Apoorva Makhija.