The Supreme Court said allowing celebrities to misuse snakes as “voiceless victims” could send a “bad message” to society. The Court is examining the complaint against Elvish Yadav under the Wildlife (Protection) Act in the alleged snake venom rave party case.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated that it will closely examine the complaint filed against YouTuber Elvish Yadav under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in connection with the alleged snake venom case. The Court observed that allowing influential public figures to misuse animals could send a dangerous signal to society.
A Bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh was hearing Yadav’s plea challenging the chargesheet and the criminal proceedings initiated against him. During the hearing, the Court made strong oral remarks about the larger social impact of the allegations.
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The Bench stated,
“If popular persons are allowed to use “voiceless victims” like snakes, it could send a very bad message to the society… You take the snake and play around. Did you deal with the snake or not? “Can you go to the zoo and play with animals there? Will it not be an offence? You can’t say that you’ll do whatever you want. We are concerned with the complaint under the Wildlife (Protection) Act,”
The case relates to allegations that snake venom was used at a rave party in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Yadav was booked in November 2023 and later arrested on March 17, 2024. The chargesheet claims that snake venom was allegedly consumed as a recreational substance at certain “rave” parties attended by several people, including foreigners.
Senior advocate Mukta Gupta, appearing on behalf of Yadav, defended him before the Court. She argued that the YouTuber had only attended the event as a guest for a video appearance with singer Fazilpuria. According to her, there is no proof of any rave party taking place or any consumption of prohibited substances.
She further submitted that Yadav was not physically present at the alleged location where the offence is said to have occurred. She also pointed out that medical reports showed that the nine snakes examined in the case were not poisonous.
On the other hand, the counsel appearing for the State told the Court that the police had rescued nine snakes from the spot, including five cobras. The State also claimed that suspected snake venom was recovered and that it was being used in rave parties.
Taking note of this claim, the Supreme Court asked the State to clarify the scientific process involved. The Bench directed the State counsel to explain how snake venom is extracted and how it is allegedly used in rave parties.
Earlier, on August 6 last year, the Supreme Court had stayed the trial court proceedings against Yadav. The matter has now been listed for further hearing on March 19.
Yadav’s legal team had earlier argued before the High Court that no snakes, narcotics, or psychotropic substances were recovered from him. They also contended that there was no direct link between Yadav and the co-accused persons in the case.
It was further argued that the person who filed the FIR was no longer serving as an animal welfare officer at the time of filing the complaint, although he had presented himself as one.
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Describing Yadav as a public personality, his counsel had also highlighted the media coverage surrounding the case. The lawyer had stated that Yadav is a “well-known influencer” and appears in multiple reality shows on television, and that his name in the FIR attracted “much media attention”.
The Supreme Court’s observations indicate that it is taking the matter seriously, particularly in view of the alleged misuse of wildlife. The case raises important legal questions regarding the enforcement of wildlife protection laws and the responsibilities of public figures in influencing social behaviour. The final outcome will depend on the Court’s examination of the evidence and legal arguments in the upcoming hearing.
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