The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim protection from arrest to YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia in connection with his crass remarks during a guest appearance on the show ‘India’s Got Latent’. The top court also ruled that no further FIRs shall be registered against the YouTuber concerning the said episode.

However, the apex court made it clear that the relief is conditional and will depend on his full cooperation with the investigation. The court directed Allahbadia to submit his passport to the police and barred him from leaving the country without permission.

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The court was hearing a plea filed by the YouTuber over the multiple FIRs registered against him across the country. He is being represented by advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, son of former CJI DY Chandrachud in this case.

Besides the Central government, the governments of Maharashtra and Assam are respondents in the petition.

Hearing the petition, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, also strongly criticised his remarks, terming them “dirty” and “perverted”.

To this, Chandrachud said that he was disgusted by the language used by his client but the question remained was whether it constituted any crime. He also cited the judgment in Apoorva Arora case.

“If this is not obscenity, then what is obscenity? Is the judgment [in Apoorva Arora case] a license to say whatever you want?”, an unconvinced Justice Kant asked.

Berating the YouTuber further, Justice Kant added, “There is something very dirty in his mind, which has been vomited by him in the program…He is insulting parents also. Why should the Courts favour him?”

Justice Kant said that the words he used during the show will make parents, sisters and daughters and the entire society feel ashamed.

“The words which you have used, parents will feel ashamed. Sisters and daughters will feel ashamed. The entire society will feel ashamed. It shows a perverted mind,” Justice Kant said.

When Chandrachud raised the issue of his client receiving death threats, the bench said that the state would take care of that.

Allahbadia, a well-known digital content creator, has faced backlash for his comments, leading to legal action in multiple states. Following the controversy, he issued an apology, saying he should have not said what he said on the show.