The Supreme Court on Friday requested responses from the Assam and Maharashtra governments regarding a petition filed by YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani to transfer the obscenity case against him from Guwahati to Mumbai.
The case stemmed from allegations of promoting obscenity on the show India’s Got Latent, where podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia is the primary accused.
Justices Surya Kant and N Kotishwar Singh, presiding over the matter, noted that Chanchlani had already been granted anticipatory bail by the Gauhati High Court.
Chanchlani’s legal team explained that the petition seeks to consolidate multiple FIRs into a single case. “We are essentially arguing which FIR should be considered,” said his counsel.
The Court then issued notices to both state governments and linked this petition with a similar one filed by Ranveer Allahbadia, the central figure in the controversy.
“We issue notice and tag,” the Court ordered.
Chanchlani’s team was represented by Senior Advocate Ajay Tewari, alongside advocates Shubham Kulshreshtha, Apoorv Srivastava, Ashish Lalwani, Satya Rath, Amitabh Tewari, and Manju Jetley.
The controversial episode, filmed on November 14, 2024, at Khar Habitat and aired recently, featured frequent use of inappropriate language by the panel, including Chanchlani, Allahbadia, comedian Samay Raina, and others.
The FIR against Chanchlani was filed at the Cyber Police Station of Guwahati’s Crime Branch after a complaint was made on February 10. He faces charges under Sections 79 (words/gestures insulting a woman’s modesty), 95 (hiring a child to commit an offense), 294 (sale of obscene objects to a child), and 296 (obscene acts and songs) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with violations of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.
Earlier, the Gauhati High Court granted anticipatory bail to Chanchlani in connection with the case.
Chanchlani’s Supreme Court petition seeks the quashing of the Assam FIR, arguing that it was filed after a similar FIR in Mumbai on the same issue. “Quash the FIR No. 03 of 2025 registered at Cyber PS Police Commissionerate, Guwahati Crime Branch, Assam, as it was filed later,” the petition stated.
Alternatively, Chanchlani requested that the FIR be transferred to Mumbai, where the initial FIR was filed.
The Supreme Court had previously granted interim relief from arrest to Allahbadia but prohibited him and other co-accused from airing any further shows until further notice.
