In a significant relief for YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, the Supreme Court dismissed the prosecution’s plea to cancel his podcast, allowing him to continue his shows while emphasizing adherence to “morality and decency.”
Acknowledging that multiple employees depend on Allahbadia’s platform for their livelihood, the bench stated, “He is saying there are multiple employees, so there are families whose livelihood is in question. Subject to maintaining morality and decency, if he wants to run a program, we can say he can.” However, while noting that there was “no defence for the words” used by Allahbadia, the court expressed confidence that he had realized his mistake, adding, “We are confident he has also realised and hope he also has some repentance.”
Following Allahbadia’s controversial remarks on the ‘India’s Got Latent’ show, the Supreme Court had earlier imposed a ban on his podcast on February 18 while granting him interim protection from arrest in response to multiple FIRs filed by police in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Assam.
Emphasizing the boundaries of free speech, the court remarked, “We have some excellent comedians in Bollywood and good writers in terms of writing humour. Its element of creativity.” The bench further observed, “Fundamental rights also come with duties. Country gives guarantee to enjoy fundamental rights but there also some duties.”
During the hearing, Allahbadia’s counsel, Abhinav Chandrachud, urged the court to allow his client to continue hosting podcasts, stating, “He has many employees. This is his livelihood, not comedy. I understand he has no sense of humour. But he interviews people.” Meanwhile, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state, argued that Allahbadia was guilty by association and suggested, “Let him stay quiet for some time.”
While opposing excessive regulation, the court maintained that online content cannot be unrestricted, stating, “We are not in favour of a regulatory regime which leads to censorship,” but also cautioning, “it can’t be a free for all.”
Additionally, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to draft rules for regulating online media content while ensuring it does not lead to outright censorship. The bench advised, “We want to reach out to Union. See if you can draft something. All stakeholders can be invited, be brought in public domain. Lets have a discussion.”
The court was hearing petitions from both Ranveer Allahbadia and fellow YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, who sought to club multiple FIRs linked to the ‘India’s Got Latent’ controversy.