The Supreme Court of India recently provided interim protection from arrest to YouTuber Ranveer Allahabadia, following several FIRs filed against him for allegedly making obscene remarks during his appearance on the show ‘India Got Latent‘. The court condemned Allahabadia’s language as “perverted” and “dirty,” emphasising the seriousness of his statements. Despite the protection, Allahabadia was instructed to surrender his passport, co-operate with the investigation, and refrain from conducting any shows until further notice.
During the court proceedings, Justice Suryakant expressed strong disapproval of Allahabadia’s comments. His lawyer, Abhinav Chandrachud, argued that his client was facing threats, including an acid attack threat against a co-accused. In a controversial move, Chandrachud drew a parallel to Nupur Sharma’s case, stating that her remarks were “much worse” than those made by Allahabadia. This comparison sparked significant backlash on social media, with many netizens criticising Chandrachud and Ranveer both, for drawing comparisons.
Public backlash
Netizens reacted strongly to the courtroom drama. Many expressed disbelief at Chandrachud’s comparison between Allahabadia’s remarks and those made by Nupur Sharma. Comments on social media highlighted the perceived injustice of using Sharma’s situation as a defense tactic for Allahabadia.
A user said, “I was fine when Ranveer Allahbadia apologised. But dragging Nupur Sharma’s statement in courts where she spoke facts after she was provoked by jihadis makes him no less than liberandu. All his channels should be banned.”
One user remarked, “Can there be any comparison between a perverted statement by this filth Allahbadia and the truth said by Nupur Sharma? I am speechless.”
Another criticised the false equivalence made in court: “While pleading for relief… this false equivalence to get bail for Ranveer Allahbadia is condemnable.”
While interim protection has been granted to Allahabadia amidst serious allegations, the court has made it clear that such language will not be tolerated.