Supreme Court orders return of passport to Ranveer Allahbadia

The Supreme Court has ordered authorities to return YouTuber Ranveer Allahabadia's passport, which had been held as a condition of his interim protection from arrest in obscenity cases.

Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh issued the directive after learning that investigations into FIRs filed in Assam and Maharashtra had concluded. Allahabadia may now approach the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Bureau to reclaim his document.

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Dr Abhinav Chandrachud requested the consolidation of the multiple FIRs, citing similarities between the cases.

However, Justice Kant rejected immediate consolidation, noting, "The Guwahati FIR contains certain specific allegations which are not present in the Mumbai FIR. Why should a person perceived to be a victim in Assam be asked to come to Maharashtra?"

The court agreed to revisit the consolidation request at a future hearing.

Allahabadia, known online as "Beer Biceps," faced legal trouble following his appearance on comedian Samay Raina's YouTube show "India's Got Latent." The episode featured sexually explicit jokes involving parents, triggering widespread public outrage and multiple criminal complaints across different states.

Following the backlash, both Raina and Allahabadia issued public apologies, with Raina removing the entire series from his channel.

The Guwahati Police filed charges against five content creators on February 10 for "promoting obscenity and engaging in sexually explicit and vulgar discussions." Additional cases were reportedly filed by the Maharashtra Cyber Department and Jaipur Police.

While Allahabadia received interim protection from arrest with conditions including passport surrender, fellow YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, who faced similar charges, secured relief through the Gauhati High Court. (PTI)