The Maharashtra Cyber Police have registered an FIR against the jury, producers and the person who uploaded the controversial episode of Samay Raina’s show ‘India’s Got Latent’ on YouTube. The FIR comes after allegations that the show promoted obscenity and contained sexually explicit, vulgar discussions. In addition, the Maharashtra Cyber unit has written to YouTube demanding the deletion of all videos related to the show. Maharashtra State Cyber Cell Special IG Yashashvi Yadav has confirmed these developments on the crass joke row.

All the shows uploaded on YouTube by the organisers have been thoroughly scrutinised from the first episode to the last, and FIRs have been registered against everyone who has participated as a judge,” Yadav said while speaking with mid-day. While reviewing Samay Raina’s YouTube channel—the brain behind “India’s Got Latent”—it was noted that all episodes of the show are hosted on his channel. The first episode was uploaded seven months ago, and the latest episode went live just two weeks ago. Currently, the channel features around 12 episodes; however, some, including the controversial one featuring Ranveer Allahbadia, have been removed from YouTube.

On his X account, Kanchan Gupta, senior advisor at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said, “India’s Got Latent episode on YouTube featuring obscene and perverse comments by Ranveer Allahbadia has been blocked following Government of India orders.”

Over the past seven to eight months, the panel of judges on the show has included personalities such as Tanmay Bhatt, Badshah, Poonam Pandey, Urofi Javed, Bharti Singh, Harsh Limbachiya, Tony Kakkar, Rakhi Sawant, Deepak Kalal, Kunal Kamra, among others.

The Mumbai Police which was also conducting an enquiry have constituted a three-member Special Inquiry Team (SET) to further probe the crass joke row. Each officer has been assigned specific tasks to ensure a comprehensive investigation. The inquiry was triggered following a complaint submitted to the Mumbai police commissioner and the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, naming YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, comedian Samay Raina, influencer Apoorva Makhija, and the show’s organizers. Sources have said that since the cyber cell has already registered an FIR the Mumbai police may stop their enquiry as Maharashtra cyber will probe the matter further.

On Tuesday, a Mumbai police team visited the Habitat venue—where the disputed episode was filmed—to gather evidence including CCTV footage. However, sources revealed that a black curtain was used during the shoot, limiting surveillance coverage. Moreover, the show is recorded by external videographers who leave with the camera equipment and recorded content immediately after the shoot, complicating evidence retrieval. The investigation is being conducted under BNSS Section 173(3)(1) (information in cognizable cases) which mandates that the probe be completed within 14 days before further legal action is taken.

Further complicating the case, the Guwahati Police have sought assistance from their Mumbai counterparts in their own inquiry into the controversy. On Monday, the Assam chief minister stated that an FIR had also been registered against Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Makhija, Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina, and others for promoting obscenity and engaging in sexually explicit discussions during the show. The Guwahati Crime Branch has invoked Sections 79, 95, 294, and 296 of BNS 2023, read in conjunction with Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000; Section 4/7 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952; and Section 4/6 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986.

Additionally, a team from Versova Police Station visited Ranveer Allahbadia’s residence in Versova as part of the investigation. Police sources have confirmed that both Ranveer Allahbadia and Samay Raina have been contacted and requested to appear before the investigating officer to present their side of the story.

The Maharashtra Women’s Commission has formally written to the Mumbai police commissioner. The commission is urging the registration of a case against Samay Raina, Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva, and their associates, and is requesting that decisive action be taken to ban the show. The letter, submitted by Maharashtra Women’s Commission Chairperson Roopali Chakankar, alleges that the programme featured insensitive remarks towards women, which demeaned and humiliated them, and has called for the imposition of a ban on the show.

An FIR has been registered under Sections 79, 196, 296, 299, and 3(5) of the BNS and Section 67 of the IT Act against Ranveer Allahabadia, Ashish Chanchlani, Apoorva Makhija (alias Rebel Kid), as well as against the judges of India’s Got Latent, the show’s producer, and the individual who uploaded it on YouTube. Notably, the FIR does not directly name Samay Raina.

The complainant is 38-year-old director of a private firm from Santacruz. In his complaint, he has stated: I was watching a YouTube episode of Samay Raina on my mobile phone, While Ranveer Allahabadia, Ashish Chanchalani, Apurva Makhija aka Rebel Kid and others were sitting on the stage as judges, Allahabadia asked the contestants an obscene question. And, after filming the said episode, Raina uploaded it to his own channel.  Also, marriage is a religious rite and by insulting religion and religious beliefs, they have acted with intelligence and an evil intention of oppressing religious sentiments.

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The intensifying probe into the India’s Got Latent controversy has led Maharashtra Cyber and Mumbai Police to begin issuing summons and recording statements of jury members who have appeared in various episodes of the show. According to the Maharashtra Cyber Cell, summons have been issued to several individuals, including Siddhant Chaturvedi, Uorfi Javed, Rakhi Sawant, Deepak Kalal, Dilin Nair (Raftaar), and Tanmay Bhat. All of them have been called in to record their statements.

The investigation is primarily focused on an episode featuring Ranveer Allahabadia as a jury member, which has come under scrutiny amid the crass joke row.

Special IG of Maharashtra Cyber, Yashasvi Yadav, had earlier stated that all episodes of the show are under scrutiny.

Advocate Gunjan Mangla, representing Raina, appeared before Maharashtra Cyber. Raina’s lawyer informed the police that he is currently abroad and will return on March 17. Through his lawyer, Raina has requested time to appear before the investigating officer. His travel ticket and show schedule have also been submitted to them.

Maharashtra Cyber is reviewing all 18 episodes of the show to identify instances of inappropriate language used by jury members. Action will be taken against those found guilty in the crass joke row. Audience members who attended the show will have their statements recorded as witnesses. Participants who engaged in inappropriate language will also face action. Additionally, Maharashtra Cyber has written to YouTube, requesting the removal of episodes containing offensive content.

In their statements, Apoorva Makheeja and Ashish Chanchlani clarified that the show is not scripted. Judges and participants are encouraged to speak freely, but they do not receive any payment. However, judges are allowed to share the show’s content on their social media platforms. The audience must purchase tickets to attend, and the revenue generated from ticket sales is used as the prize money for the show’s winner. 

Samay Raina on X: “Everything happening has been too much for me to handle. I have removed all India’s Got Latent videos from my channel. My only objective was to make people laugh and have a good time. I will fully cooperate with all agencies to ensure their inquiries are conducted fairly.”

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The investigation into alleged irregularities in the talent show ‘India’s Got Latent’ has intensified, with both Khar police and the Maharashtra Cyber Cell summoning key individuals linked to the show.

The Khar police has issued a second summons to Ranveer Allahbadia, asking him to appear for questioning. He was initially called to record his statement at 3 pm on Thursday but failed to appear. Following this, police sent a fresh notice directing him to cooperate with the probe and appear today.

So far, Khar police have recorded statements from seven individuals associated with the show—including Ashish Chanchlani and Apoorva Makheja, Balraj Singh Ghai’s father (owner of The Habitat Studio), Tushar Pujari (chief programmer/production manager) and three other studio employees.

The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has registered an FIR and is reviewing all episodes of India’s Got Latent. Former judge Raghu Ram recently visited the Cyber Police office and recorded his statement. Several others from the show’s judging panel have also been summoned for questioning.