NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday issued a new hearing date after several individuals failed to appear for questioning in the ongoing ‘India’s Got Latent’ controversy.
Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva Mukhija, Ashish Chanchlani, Tushar Poojari, and Saurabh Bothra have been summoned on March 6, while Samay Raina, Jaspreet Singh, and Balraj Ghai are required to appear on March 11.
Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell has denied YouTuber Samay Raina’s request to record his statement via videoconferencing. Raina, currently in the US, had cited prior commitments and stated that he would not be able to return to India before March 17. However, the Cyber Cell has directed him to appear in person on February 18.
The controversy stems from a remark made by podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia during the show, where he asked a contestant, “Would you rather watch your parents or join in once and stop it forever?” Following public outrage, multiple complaints were filed against Allahbadia, Raina, social media influencer Apoorva Mukhija, and the show’s organisers.
In response, Raina took to Instagram, announcing that he had removed all ‘India’s Got Latent’ videos from his channel and was cooperating with authorities. “Everything happening has been overwhelming. My only aim was to entertain. I will fully cooperate to ensure a fair investigation,” he stated.
On Friday, Allahbadia approached the Supreme Court, seeking to merge multiple FIRs filed against him across different states. His lawyer, senior advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, mentioned the case before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, highlighting that his client had been summoned by Assam Police. The CJI, however, declined an urgent hearing, stating that the case had already been assigned a listing date.
On February 11, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that Guwahati Police had registered an FIR against Allahbadia, Raina, Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Mukhija, and others for allegedly promoting obscenity and engaging in explicit discussions on the show. FIRs have been filed in both Maharashtra and Assam.
