Supreme Court examines FIR against YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani

The Supreme Court on Friday sought response of Maharashtra and Assam governments on a plea of YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani seeking to quash or transfer to Mumbai an FIR registered in Guwahati in connection with a case of allegedly promoting obscenity in an online show.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice and tagged Mr Chanchlani's plea with influencer Ranveer Allahbadia's pending petition.

At the outset, the bench told Mr Chanchlani's counsel that he was already granted bail in the matter.

Counsel for Mr Chanchlani admitted that he has got the relief but he was against lodging multiple of the FIR in connection with that one particular show.

The bench said it was already hearing the issue and tagged Mr Chanchlani's plea. On February 18, the top court granted interim protection from arrest to podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia over his comments on a YouTube show while calling it "vulgar" and saying he had "dirty mind" which put the society to shame.

Several FIRs were lodged against Mr Allahbadia, popularly known as BeerBiceps, for the comment on parents and sex on comic Samay Raina's YouTube show "India's Got Latent".

The Gauhati High Court Tuesday granted interim bail to Mr Chanchlani while hearing his anticipatory bail petition and asked him to be present before the investigating officer within 10 days.

The FIR was registered by the Guwahati Police on a complaint of an individual on February 10 under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhtia (BNS), Information Technology Act, Cinematograph Act and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.