On Tuesday, the Supreme Court provided influencer Ranveer Allahbadia, also known as BeerBiceps, protection against arrest after he made controversial statements on a YouTube show. The court, though, severely criticized his statements, calling them reflective of a "perverted mind."
Allahbadia has multiple FIRs against him for comments made on his appearance on comedian Samay Raina's YouTube show, "India's Got Latent," where he spoke about parents and sex. The Supreme Court, in its opening observations, was outraged by Allahbadia's "unacceptable" remarks, saying they revealed something "dirty in his mind." Justice Surya Kant, reading on behalf of the bench, questioned the impropriety of the language employed, saying, "The words you have chosen will embarrass daughters, sisters, parents, and even society. It reflects a perverted mind. If this is not obscenity, then what is it? Why should we quash or club the FIRs against you?"
Even this blistering critique, however, did not impress the court, which ruled in favor of Allahbadia's attorney, senior advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, who sought protection from arrest based on the various FIRs filed on the same issue and death threats to Allahbadia. Justice Surya Kant specifically asked, "Are you defending the kind of language he has used?" to which Chandrachud acknowledged being "disgusted" by the remarks. However, the attorney argued that what was at stake was whether or not the words were a criminal act since profanity in and of itself is not obscenity.
The court recognized publicity-seeking as a concern, noting that people could use such language to draw attention, and cautioned that others may manipulate similar techniques by making threats. The court ruled that no new FIRs need to be registered against Allahbadia for his remarks on the YouTube show, and also ordered a temporary injunction against broadcasting any new episodes till further notice. Allahbadia was also asked to surrender his passport at the Thane police station and take court permission before traveling abroad.
The bench also ordered Allahbadia to cooperate entirely with inquiries in FIRs that have been registered in Maharashtra and Assam. Chandrachud invoked the right to life of Allahbadia and queried if several prosecutions for the very same incident would be justified.
In reply, the court highlighted respect for society values by saying, "What are the values of society? What are these parameters, do you even know? Society has some self-evolved values. You need to respect them… In the name of freedom of speech, no one has a license to speak whatever they want against the norms of society."
Granting Allahbadia immunity from any coercive measure in the FIRs lodged in Mumbai and Guwahati, the court also asked the Central Government, Maharashtra, and Assam governments for their responses to his request for clubbing and quashing the several FIRs.
An Assam police squad had gone to Pune to serve Raina with summons in the case lodged in Assam under which Raina's show has been put on trial for inciting obscenity. Assam's complaint also mentions other such influencers, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Makhija.
Apart from the FIRs in Mumbai and Guwahati, there is also a police complaint filed against Allahbadia in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and a case has been lodged under the IT Act by Maharashtra Cyber Department for the cancellation of all 18 episodes of the show.
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