India’s Got Latent row: Huge relief for Ranveer Allahbadia as SC allows to resume podcasting, warns against indecency
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a prosecution plea seeking to cancel YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, granting him permission to continue the show as long as it adheres to standards of morality and decency, media reports said.
"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," the court stated, reported India Today.
Allahbadia had been barred from airing any show since February 18, when the Supreme Court, while granting him interim protection from arrest, prohibited him from broadcasting content in light of multiple FIRs lodged against him in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Assam.
The FIRs were filed following his controversial remarks on the now-deleted 'India's Got Latent' show.
Court warns against misuse of free speech
While allowing him to resume his podcast, the bench strongly criticised Allahbadia, asserting that freedom of speech has its limitations and that vulgar language does not constitute humour.
"We have some excellent comedians in Bollywood and good writers in terms of writing humour. Its element of creativity," the bench observed, according to the report.
The court further remarked that fundamental rights come with responsibilities.
"The country gives guarantee to enjoy fundamental rights, but there are also some duties," the bench stated.
Defence argues for livelihood concerns
During the hearing, Allahbadia’s counsel, Abhinav Chandrachud, urged the court to allow his client to host podcasts, arguing that it was his primary source of income.
"He has many employees. This is his livelihood, not comedy. I understand he has no sense of humour. But he interviews people," Chandrachud stated, the report said.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state, contended that Allahbadia was guilty by association and argued that he should be restricted from broadcasting for a while.
"Let him stay quiet for some time," Mehta urged.
SC rules out censorship but calls for regulation
However, the Supreme Court made it clear that it was not in favour of imposing a regulatory system that could lead to censorship but maintained that content creators could not have unchecked freedom. "It can't be a free for all," the bench noted, the India Today reported.
The court directed the Centre to formulate a framework for regulating online media content while ensuring that it does not lead to outright censorship.
"We want to reach out to the Union. See if you can draft something. All stakeholders can be invited, be brought in public domain. Let's have a discussion," the court observed.
Allahbadia, Chanchlani seek clubbing of FIRs
The bench was hearing petitions filed by both Ranveer Allahbadia and fellow YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, seeking to club multiple FIRs related to the 'India’s Got Latent' controversy.
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