Mumbai, February 17: YouTuber Samay Raina’s request to record his statement via videoconferencing in the ongoing ‘India’s Got Latent’ controversy has been denied by the Maharashtra Cyber Cell. Raina, who is currently in the US and unable to return before March 17 due to prior commitments, had pleaded for an exemption. However, the Cyber Cell instructed him to record his statement in person on February 18.
The controversy erupted following controversial comments made by podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia during the show. Allahbadia asked a contestant an inappropriate question, leading to a massive public backlash. Subsequently, a formal complaint was filed against Allahbadia, social media influencer Apoorva Makhija, comedian Samay Raina, and the show’s organizers.
In response to the controversy, Samay Raina shared a statement on his Instagram, clarifying that he had removed all videos of the show from his channel and expressed his full cooperation with the authorities. “My only objective was to make people laugh and have a good time. I will fully cooperate with all agencies,” Raina wrote, expressing regret over the situation.
Additionally, on Friday, Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia approached the Supreme Court, seeking to club multiple FIRs filed against them across India due to the controversy. Senior advocate Abhinav Chandrachud mentioned the case before the bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, requesting an urgent hearing. FIRs have been filed against the accused in Maharashtra and Assam for promoting obscenity and vulgar content on the show.