Today, On 21st February, The Supreme Court issued notices to Assam and Maharashtra on YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani’s request to club multiple FIRs. His case was tagged with Ranveer Allahbadia’s similar plea, the main accused in the matter. The move aims to streamline proceedings and avoid multiple trials.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court requested responses from the Assam and Maharashtra governments regarding a petition from YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, who seeks to transfer an obscenity case against him from Guwahati to Mumbai.
The FIR was filed over 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 noted that Chanchlani has already received anticipatory bail from the Gauhati High Court.
Chanchlani’s lawyer mentioned that the plea aims to consolidate multiple FIRs, stating,
“We are basically on which FIR should be considered.”
The Court then issued notices to both states and connected the plea with a similar one filed by Allahbadia.
The controversial episode, filmed on November 14, 2024, at Khar Habitat but aired recently, featured frequent use of abusive language by the panel, including Chanchlani, Allahbadia, comedian Samay Raina, and others.
Earlier, Ashish Chanchlani approached the Supreme Court to quash or transfer an FIR filed against him in Guwahati.
In his petition, drafted by advocate Shubham Kulshreshtha and submitted by advocate Manju Jaitley, Chanchlani requests the quashing of the FIR filed at the Cyber Police Station in Guwahati.
The plea states,
“Quash the FIR bearing No. 03 of 2025 registered at Cyber PS Police Commissionerate, Guwahati Crime Branch, Assam as it was registered later.”
Alternatively, he seeks to transfer the case to the Mumbai Police, arguing that a prior FIR (No. 05 of 2025) was lodged at the Mumbai Police Station.
On Tuesday, the Gauhati High Court granted Chanchlani interim bail while considering his anticipatory bail application and instructed him to appear before the investigating officer within ten days.
Chanchlani’s attorneys contended that he did not make any statements on the show, asserting that the allegations in the FIR pertain only to the co-accused.
The FIR was filed by Guwahati Police on February 10 based on a complaint, citing various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhtia (BNS), the Information Technology Act, the Cinematograph Act, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
Earlier, on February 10, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced via social media that the Guwahati Police had registered FIRs against five prominent content creators, including Allahabadia and Chanchlani, for allegedly promoting obscenity on the show.
The accused include Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Makhija, Ranveer Allahbadia, and Samay Raina, among others.
The FIR filed against the influencers for engaging in sexually explicit and vulgar discussions in a show titled ‘India’s Got Latent.’
According to Sarma’s post, the Guwahati Crime Branch registered the case under Cyber PS Case No. 03/2025.
The legal sections invoked include:
- Sections 79, 95, 294, and 296 of BNS 2023
- Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000 (which pertains to publishing or transmitting obscene content in electronic form)
- Sections 4/7 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952
- Section 4/6 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986
If found guilty, the accused YouTubers could face severe legal consequences, including fines and imprisonment. The Cinematograph Act and IT Act impose strict penalties for obscenity and the transmission of inappropriate content online.
Case Title: ASHISH ANIL CHANCHLANI Versus STATE OF GUWAHATI AND ANR. W.P.(Crl.) No. 85/2025
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