Breaking: Supreme Court Issues Notice In YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani’s Plea Against FIRs In 'India's Got Latent' Case
|The Supreme Court was hearing Writ Petition against multiple FIRs registered for the offence of obscenity over remarks made during an episode of the "India's Got Latent" show.
The Supreme Court today issued notice in a petition filed by YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani seeking to quash or transfer an FIR registered against him in Guwahati over allegations of promoting obscenity in an online show.
Chanchlani is one of the individuals named in the case, with podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia as the key accused for his controversial remarks on the YouTube show India's Got Latent.
The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh issued notice in the petition and tagged it along with Allahbadia's case.
During the hearing, the Bench noted that he was granted bail by the Guwahati High Court, and the FIRs arise out of the same show, wherein Allahbadia was granted interim relief, earlier, this week.
It is to be noted that on February 18, the Supreme Court had granted interim protection from arrest to podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, condemning his comments on the show as "vulgar" and stating that he had a "dirty mind, which put society to shame." The Apex Court had stayed his arrest on the condition that he would fully cooperate with the investigation without legal representation inside the police station.
About the Petition
The Writ Petition challenges the FIR lodged at the Cyber Police Station, Guwahati Crime Branch, Assam. It seeks either quashing of the FIR or its transfer to Mumbai, where a similar case had been registered earlier. "Quash the FIR bearing No. 03 of 2025 registered at Cyber PS Police Commissionerate, Guwahati Crime Branch, Assam as it was registered later," the plea states.
Alternatively, Chanchlani has requested the Supreme Court to transfer the Guwahati FIR to Mumbai, where FIR No. 05 of 2025 was first lodged at the Mumbai Police Station Nodal Cyber.
Background
On February 18, the Gauhati High Court had granted interim bail to Chanchlani while hearing his anticipatory bail plea. The Court had directed him to appear before the investigating officer within 10 days. His legal counsel argued that Chanchlani did not make any objectionable remarks during the show and that the allegations in the FIR were primarily against the co-accused.
The FIR, filed by Guwahati Police on February 10, invokes provisions of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology Act, the Cinematograph Act, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
Cause Title: Ashish Anil Chanchlani v. State of Guwahati [W.P.(Crl.) No. 85/2025; Diary No. 9116/2025]