Very dirty, depraved mind: Supreme Court on Ranveer Allahbadia remarks in India's Got Latent

The Supreme Court on Tuesday berated podcaster Ranveer Gautam Allahbadia for his comments at the online show India's Got Latent. .The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh said such behavior has to be condemned, even as it ultimately protected him from arrest in FIRs registered in different parts of the country."There has to be a height of lack of responsibility. This kind of condemnable behavior … that somebody thinks himself that 'I can, because now I have become so and so popular and therefore I can speak any kind of words and that I can take the entire society to be granted'," the Court said.Continuing, the Bench said,"You tell us anyone on the earth would like these kind of words to be told. You are insulting people, parents also. We don't want to say, there is something very dirty in his mind that has been vomited by way of this program".The Court further observed that the words used by Allahbadia would put anyone to shame.“The words which you have chosen, parents will feel ashamed. Daughters and sisters will feel ashamed. Your younger brothers will feel ashamed. The entire society feels ashamed. The kind of words… the perverted mind and the perversity you and your henchman have executed.”.At the outset of Allahbadia's plea against the FIRs registered against him and other in Mumbai, Gauhati and Jaipur, Justice Kant asked Dr Abhinav Chandrachud, the petitioner's counsel, whether he was defending the language used."As an officer of the court, I personally am disgusted by what the petitioner has said but whether it rises to the level of a criminal offence is another question," advocate Chandrachud responded.The Court at this asked Chandrachud to explain what would constitute obscenity . The counsel responded that mere use of profanity would not amount to obscenity."If something excites, in the words of the court, lustful thoughts or sexual thoughts in the mind of a reasonable person, that would be obscenity," Chandrachud added, while relying on Supreme Court's ruling in Apoorva Arora's case.However, the Court disagreed, saying, "It's not the question of arousing the lustful thoughts. The question of what is ultimately what is the parameters of the vulgarity in a particular ... where ... it's not the question of personal opinion .. but in a case where the society has broadly some self-evolved values and where yourself as a senior and responsible citizen commit ourselves to behave within those parameters. What are those parameters or values we would like to know from the petitioner and so-called the artist ... that how do you behave yourself.".The Court questioned if the comments made by Allahbadia do not amount to obscenity, then what the standard for obscenity is. As Chandrachud again referred to Apoorva Arora judgment, the Court said,"We have seen the judgment... therefore you have got a license to speak all kind of vulgarity and you can exhibit your depraved mind anywhere and anytime? This is the standard?".Justice Kant also said he had copied from a foreign show. "We are not sitting in ivory towers. We know he has copied from Australian program... there are certain societies where they warn you. There are adult channels they they warn you that children are not to watch this kind of program, the patients, the elder people may also not watch this program, they will give you a warning even to those who have little more kind of a moral fabric, even they will warn them also that the contents may not be convenient for you. They will they maintain all these precautions."Read more about the hearing here..[Read Order]