The Supreme Court of India has provided temporary relief to podcaster and YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, aka 'BeerBiceps,' by ordering that no fresh First Information Reports (FIRs) shall be lodged against him in relation to his objectionable comments made on a YouTube show.
The comments, which outraged people, resulted in FIRs being registered in Maharashtra, Assam, and Jaipur. The comments were called "disgusting," "filthy," and "insulting" by the Justices Surya Kant and N.K. Singh bench.
In the hearing, the Court reprimanded Allahbadia for uttering words that they deemed offensive to society and likely injurious to the reputation of families, particularly parents, daughters, sisters, and younger brothers. The Court also asked Allahbadia if he believed that his popularity provided him with a license to speak profanely and be insensitive to societal decency.
Allahbadia, represented by his counsel Abhinav Chandrachud, contended that the use of obscenity is not necessarily equivalent to obscenity, citing a past judgment (Apoorva Arora v State) that observed indecent language on social media must be controlled in order to shield impressionable minds. The Court was not convinced, however, and said the comments were on the limits of obscenity and vulgarity in a decent society, not on inciting lustful thoughts.
The Court suspended the FIRs registered against Allahbadia at Thane and Guwahati but declined to pass blanket relief. Rather, Allahbadia was asked to cooperate fully with the investigations. The Court also rejected allegations of threats to Allahbadia's family as a publicity stunt.
The Court issued interim protection from arrest subject to a number of conditions:
- No new FIRs on the same statements.
- Cooperation with the police when called, without the presence of a lawyer.
- Surrendering his passport and obtaining prior permission from the Investigating Officer and the Court for foreign travel.
- Avoiding any appearance in any shows during this time.
Allahbadia's comments were made on a paywall show, meant for a restricted audience, but the Court observed that the content of the show had been extensively shared on social media, giving rise to the controversy.
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