New Delhi, Apr 28 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday ordered that YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, better known as BeerBiceps, be allowed to get his passport back so he can travel abroad for his podcast work.
Allahbadia had surrendered his passport earlier when police were investigating criminal cases filed against him and others over controversial comments made during an episode of "India's Got Latent."
The Apex Court had already granted Allahbadia protection from arrest, under certain conditions, while considering his request to combine all the cases filed against him across different states.
Today, a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh said that since the police investigation was now complete, Allahbadia could apply to the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Bureau for the release of his passport. The Court directed that his passport be returned to him under reasonable terms and conditions.
"We allow the petitioner to apply for the release of his passport. On such application, the passport should be returned under reasonable terms," the Bench ordered.
However, the Court reminded Allahbadia that he must still seek permission before leaving India and must cooperate with police if called for questioning again.
Earlier, on April 1, Senior Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, appearing for Allahbadia, argued that the travel restrictions were hurting the YouTuber’s livelihood, as he needed to travel to interview guests for his podcasts.
Today, Chandrachud also requested the Court to allow him to argue for clubbing together all the FIRs registered against Allahbadia, saying that although the Assam FIR might be more detailed than the one in Mumbai, both arise from the same incident. The Court initially observed that the FIRs might not have identical contents but agreed to hear further arguments on this issue later.
The controversy stems from an episode of "India's Got Latent" recorded on November 14, 2024, at Khar Habitat, and aired later.
Allahbadia is not the only one facing legal trouble. Another YouTuber, Ashish Chanchlani, has also approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash an FIR against him filed in Assam, or alternatively, to transfer the case to Mumbai. The Gauhati High Court has already granted Chanchlani anticipatory bail.
During earlier hearings, the Supreme Court strongly criticized the statements made in the episode, calling them "perverted" and "dirty-minded." The Bench questioned whether such vulgar speech could be protected as artistic expression and said the words used were deeply offensive to society, parents, and women.
Even so, the Court granted Allahbadia temporary protection from arrest but initially banned him from hosting shows. That restriction was later eased, allowing him to continue his podcasts, provided that he maintains decency in his content.
The Court also indicated it might later consider setting guidelines to regulate online content and prevent the spread of obscene material.
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