The Supreme Court on Monday allowed YouTuber and Podcaster Ranveer Allahabadia to resume his podcast ‘The Ranveer Show’ maintaining the desired standards of decency and morality and emphasised the need for a mechanism to regulate vulgar content in programmes telecast on YouTube and other online social media platforms.

A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh permitted the resumption of ‘The Ranveer Show’, subject to furnishing of an undertaking that his podcast shows will maintain the desired standards of morality and decency.

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The bench said, “As of now, the petitioner was restrained from airing any shows. Subject to the petitioner furnishing an undertaking that his podcast shows will maintain the desired standards of morality and decency so that viewers of any age group can watch, the petitioner is permitted to resume ‘The Ranveer Show.’

The livelihood of around 280 employees that depend on the telecast of his show also weighed with the court in relaxing its earlier order.

In the last hearing of the matter on February 18, the top court had directed Ranveer Allahabadia and his associates to be “off from show business for some time”.

Taking note of the submission by the Attorney General R Venkatramani and the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta saying that to prevent telecast or airing of programmes which are not acceptable in terms of known moral standards of our society, some regulatory measures may be required, the bench asked the central government to propose measures to regulate contents of the programmes on the YouTube channels and social media platforms.

It asked the Solicitor General, appearing for the Central government, to deliberate upon and suggest some measures that shall not impinge on the fundamental right of free speech and expression but also be effective enough to ensure that it is within the bounds of reasonable restrictions under Article 19 of the constitution of India.

The bench further said that any draft regulatory measure in this regard can then be put in public domain to invite suggestions from stakeholders before taking any legislative or judicial measure in pursuance of that.

On putting in place a regulatory mechanism to monitor the contents of programmes on YouTube channels and social media platforms, Justice Surya Kant said, “We don’t want any regulatory regime which leads to censorship…but it can’t be a free for all platform. Just because you have commercial interests, it cannot be that you can say anything. See the quality of humour he has…humour is something the entire family can enjoy, nobody feels embarrassed. Using all filthy language is not talent.”

The bench extended its interim order protecting the podcaster Ranveer Allahabadia from arrest in the FIRs registered against him in Guwahati, Mumbai and Jaipur.

The bench was hearing Ranveer Allahabadia’s petition seeking clubbing of FIRs registered against him across the country for controversial remarks made by him and others who were part of an episode of India’s Got Latent.

On Ranveer Allahabadia’s prayer to allow him to travel abroad as a guest in foreign countries, the bench said this prayer shall be considered after he joins probe and is no longer required for the said purpose.