SC seeks response from Assam, Maharashtra on Ashish Chanchlani's plea to quash/transfer FIR

The Supreme Court, on February 21, asked the Assam and Maharashtra governments to respond to a petition filed by YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, seeking to either quash or transfer to Mumbai an FIR registered in Guwahati, concerning allegations of promoting obscenity through an online show.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice and tagged Chanchlani’s plea with influencer Ranveer Allahbadia’s pending petition.

At the outset, the bench told Chanchlani’s counsel that he was already granted bail in the matter.

Counsel for Chanchlani admitted that he has got the relief but he was against lodging multiple of the FIR in connection with that one particular show.

The bench said it was already hearing the issue and tagged Chanchlani’s plea.    
On February 18, the top court granted interim protection from arrest to podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia over his comments on a YouTube show while calling it "vulgar" and saying he had "dirty mind" which put the society to shame.

Several FIRs were lodged against Allahbadia, popularly known as BeerBiceps, for the comment on parents and sex on comic Samay Raina's YouTube show "India's Got Latent".

The Gauhati High Court Tuesday granted interim bail to Chanchlani while hearing his anticipatory bail petition and asked him to be present before the investigating officer within 10 days.

The FIR was registered by the Guwahati Police on a complaint of an individual on February 10 under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhtia (BNS), Information Technology Act, Cinematograph Act and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. (With PTI inputs)