The Supreme Court criticized comedian Samay Raina for discussing the controversy over his show ‘India’s Got Latent’ during a tour in Canada, suggesting that young entertainers think they are overly clever. Justice Surya Kant warned Youtubers to “behave” regarding the court’s jurisdiction. The uproar began after podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia made offensive comments on Raina’s show, leading to public outrage and parliamentary debates, alongside multiple complaints and cases against involved YouTubers. Although Raina initially removed the episode, the court later allowed Allahbadia to resume his podcast, emphasizing the need to balance morality with freedom of expression in digital content.
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court on Monday criticized Comedian Samay Raina for addressing the controversy related to his show ‘India’s Got Latent’ while in Canada, asserting that the younger generation believes they are “oversmart”. The apex court was considering a petition filed by Podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, who ignited significant outrage last month with his crude comments on Raina’s show.
“These young and oversmart individuals think they have more knowledge than others… One of them traveled to Canada and discussed all of this,” Justice Surya Kant remarked.
In response, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta stated, “Indeed, he (referring to Raina) went abroad and mocked this process.”
“Perhaps they are unaware of the jurisdiction that this court possesses,” Justice Surya Kant warned, advising YouTubers to “conduct themselves appropriately.”
“Act responsibly, or else we know how to handle the situation,” he added.
Raina, who was on a ‘Samay Raina Unfiltered’ tour in Canada the previous month, made a humorous remark about the controversy. During his initial comments on stage, he quipped to the audience, “Thanks for covering my lawyer’s fees.”
A significant uproar occurred last month following Ranveer Allahbadia, widely known as The BeerBiceps Guy, making offensive remarks regarding parents and sex on Raina’s show ‘India’s Got Latent’. These comments triggered widespread outrage and a debate in Parliament, resulting in numerous complaints against the social media figure.
Legal actions were also initiated against other YouTubers who participated in the show, including Raina, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Mukhija.
Shortly after the episode was removed from YouTube, Raina released a statement indicating that he had deleted all videos of the show from his channel and was “fully cooperating” with the authorities. Allahbadia also issued an apology in a video, admitting that his comments were not “only inappropriate but also not funny at all”. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court had prohibited the 31-year-old YouTuber from filming any further episodes.
Today, the Supreme Court permitted Allahbadia to continue his podcast ‘The Ranveer Show’, emphasizing the “necessity to balance morality with freedom of expression”. The Supreme Court also instructed the Centre to consider this balance when establishing guidelines for digital content in light of the significant controversy.