NEW DELHI: In another relief to popular YouTube Ranveer Allahbadia, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the return of his passport.
Allahbadia, who made obscene and offensive remarks about parents in the comedy show "India's Got Latent", faces several FIRs and legal complaints across the country.
The top court, in an interim order passed on February 18, had conditionally stayed his arrest, and one of the conditions required him to deposit his passport with Mumbai’s Thane Nodal Cyber Police and not leave the country without prior permission of the apex court.
Allahbadia prayed that his passport be released since he needed to travel abroad for work, and the police probe against him was over.
Allowing the application, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N.K. Singh directed the Nodal Cyber Police to release Allahbadia’s passport to enable him to travel abroad.
The bench, however, clarified that Allahbadia will have to remain present before the Investigation Officer in case his presence is needed for further probe. It agreed to examine on the next date of listing Allahbadia’s prayer to club various FIRs registered against him.
In the previous hearing, advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, appearing for Allahbadia, pressed the application for release of the passport and, citing media reports, said that the probe was over in relation to the FIR registered in Maharashtra.
"It is a matter of livelihood for him. He (Allahbadia) has to travel abroad from time to time. As far as the petitioner is concerned, Maharashtra Police had called him on three occasions, and Assam Police had called him on one occasion. He had appeared on every occasion, " said Allahbadia’s counsel.
After Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that Assam Police is likely to finish the probe by April end and one of co-accused had been summoned for recording of statement on April 22, the apex court adjourned the hearing and posted the matter for further hearing on April 28.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had permitted Allahbadia to resume airing his podcast on the condition that he would maintain the "standards of decency and morality". It had favoured relaxing the condition which had prohibited Allahbadia or his associates from airing any show on YouTube or any other audio/visual mode of communication till further orders. The apex court clarified that Allahbadia’s shows should not comment upon the proceedings which are sub-judice.