Mumbai: Maharashtra Cyber officials questioned YouTubers Ranveer Allahbadia and Ashish Chanchlani for around five hours Monday in connection with India’s Got Latent show controversy after they appeared before the agency to record their statements, officials said.
The duo appeared separately at the cyber headquarters in Navi Mumbai after skipping previous summons issued by the agency.
The Maharashtra Cyber and the Mumbai Police are investigating Allahbadia’s controversial remarks on Samay Raina’s YouTube show, which sparked an obscenity case. The show, India’s Got Latent, became the focus after Allahbadia made crude comments about parents and sex, leading to widespread backlash.
Allahbadia and Chanchlani appeared at the cyber headquarters around 11.30 am following which their statements were recorded, an official said without elaborating.
Allahbadia, who wore a black face mask to avoid media attention, was seen leaving the headquarters around 5 pm. He boarded a private cab and left, while Chanchlani departed an hour later in his car.
More than 50 people connected to the show, including guests, judges, social media influencers, and comedians, were summoned by Maharashtra Cyber. The investigation includes allegations of obscenity against Allahbadia, who is also known as BeerBiceps.
The Supreme Court granted Allahbadia interim protection from arrest Tuesday, calling his remarks “vulgar” and saying he he had a “dirty mind” that shamed society.
The court directed Allahbadia to cooperate with the ongoing investigations and deposit his passport with the Thane police to prevent him from leaving the country without permission. The matter has been scheduled for a hearing March 3.
Several FIRs were lodged against Allahbadia.
On February 17, an FIR was registered in Guwahati by a resident for the alleged promotion of obscenity in a publicly accessible online show.
In addition to Allahbadia and Raina, others named in the case include Chanchlani, comedians Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Makhija, and Rakhi Sawant, who appeared as a guest on the show.
Sawant was summoned to appear before Maharashtra Cyber February 27, police had said.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) had previously summoned Allahbadia, Raina, and others, to appear before it February 17.
However, due to concerns over safety and other logistical issues, many failed to attend in person. Allahbadia’s hearing has been rescheduled to March 6 following his request for a three-week postponement, citing death threats, officials had said.
