NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Tuesday kept in abeyance the plea for return of passport and permission to travel abroad by Ranveer Allahbadia, who faces multiple FIRs for triggering an uproar by his crass remark on parental sex, and said it would be considered only after the Maharashtra Police completes the probe into the episode.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, which on Feb 18 had severely admonished Allahbadia for misusing free speech but protected him from arrest while asking him to surrender his passport, was informed by his counsel Abhinav Chandrachud that the influencer has cooperated in investigations being carried out by the Maharashtra and Assam police in the two FIRs registered against him.
Chandrachud said Allahbadia has fully cooperated in the investigations and recorded his statement before the National Commission for Women on March 6, and on the next day before police in Guwahati. He requested the court to consider release of his passport, which had been surrendered to the Maharashtra Police, and permission to travel abroad as his work involved interviewing famous personalities both in India and overseas.
Asked by the court on how much time police would take to complete the investigations into the incident, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said it should be over in two weeks. Supreme Court said it would consider Allahbadia’s request for return of passport on April 21, the next date of hearing.
On March 3, the bench upheld free speech within reasonable restrictions but clarified it doesn’t permit broadcasting obscene or depraved content on social media.
