India's Maharashtra police file case against Ranveer Allahbadia

Maharashtra Police have filed a case against YouTubers Samay Raina, Ranveer Allahbadia, Ashish Chanchlani, Apoorva Mukhija, and others following controversial remarks made on the comedy show India's Got Latent. The case was registered after the cyber branch reviewed the episodes of the show.

This marks the second case filed over the comments, with Assam Police filing a similar case against Ranveer Allahbadia and Samay Raina for allegedly promoting obscenity.

The Maharashtra Police have named 30 individuals in the case, including the aforementioned YouTubers, Rakhi Sawant, and Balraj Ghai. Some have been summoned, while others are expected to be questioned soon.

The case was filed under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which deals with the transmission of obscene material, along with other relevant sections.

Allahbadia, known for his YouTube channel BeerBiceps, faces further scrutiny after multiple complaints. Both he and Raina were summoned by Mumbai Police. The issue may escalate, with political leaders indicating it could be raised in Parliament.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had hinted at action on the matter, stating, "Everyone has freedom of speech, but our freedom ends when we encroach upon the freedom of others."

The controversy erupted after social media users shared a clip from the show where Allahbadia asked a contestant an inappropriate question about watching parents have sex or joining in. He later apologised, calling the comment "inappropriate" and stating that comedy was not his forte.

"My comment wasn't just inappropriate, it wasn't even funny. Comedy is not my forte. I'm just here to say sorry. Many of you asked if this is how I wish to use my platform and, obviously, this is not how I wish to use it. I'm not going to give any context or justification or reasoning behind whatever happened," he said.

Allahbadia, who has over 12 million subscribers across his seven YouTube channels, was given the "Disruptor of the Year" award by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the National Creators Award last year.