The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has summoned several celebrities including Siddhant Chaturvedi, Uorfi Javed, Rakhi Sawant, Raftaar, and Tanmay Bhat for questioning in connection with the ongoing India’s Got Latent controversy, IANS reported.
According to reports, comedian Samay Raina’s lawyer informed officials that Raina is currently abroad and will return on March 17. The lawyer submitted his travel ticket and show schedule to authorities.
The Maharashtra Cyber Police registered an FIR on Tuesday against 30 to 40 individuals. The case has been filed under Section 67 (transmission of obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The FIR names those involved in the show from Episode 1 to Episode 6, including Allahbadia, the host, and the artists, participants, and judges of the show.
Read Also | Ranveer Allahbadia Loses Followers; YouTuber Likely To Lose Brand Deals Amid India’s Got Latent Controversy
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also summoned YouTubers Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina, Apoorva Makhija, Jaspreet Singh, and Ashish Chanchlani, along with the show’s producers, Tushar Poojari and Saurabh Bothra. They have been asked to appear before the commission on February 17 at its office in Delhi.
The controversy erupted after Allahbadia, known as "BeerBiceps," made a comment in a recent episode of India’s Got Latent, featuring comedian Samay Raina, YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, and social media influencer Apoorva Makhija. During the show, He asked a contestant, "Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?" The video was later removed from YouTube after the government issued a notice.
Multiple police complaints were filed against him. Politicians cutting across party lines criticised the podcaster, who has 3.4 million followers on Instagram and 1.04 crore YouTube subscribers.
Following the backlash, Allahbadia issued an apology. He admitted that his comment was inappropriate and not humorous. In a video message, he said that he had a lapse in judgment and did not intend to misuse his platform.