Relief for Ranveer Allahbadia as Court lifts travel ban, orders return of passport

The Supreme Court on Monday granted major relief to podcaster and YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia by allowing the return of his passport, thereby lifting the restriction on his travel abroad for work-related purposes. The move comes after the Assam and Maharashtra governments informed the court that the investigation against him had been completed.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh agreed to relax the earlier conditions imposed on Allahbadia. The court directed him to approach the Maharashtra Cyber Police Bureau for the retrieval of his passport, paving the way for his international travel.

The top court also indicated that it would hear Allahbadia’s request to club the multiple FIRs filed against him into a single proceeding during the next hearing. His counsel, senior advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, stressed that consolidating the FIRs would avoid parallel investigations and streamline the legal process.

In February, the Supreme Court had protected Allahbadia from arrest in several FIRs lodged over controversial comments he made during a YouTube show featuring comedian Samay Raina. The court had also ordered Allahbadia to surrender his passport to the investigating officer and temporarily restrained him from airing any podcast episodes that could influence the ongoing cases.

Further relief came in March when the Supreme Court allowed Allahbadia to resume his podcast, "The Ranveer Show," provided he maintained standards of "morality and decency" to make the content suitable for all audiences.

Allahbadia, widely known as BeerBiceps, had faced significant backlash over remarks about parents and sex made during "India’s Got Latent," leading to FIRs not only against him but also against comedians Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Makhija in Assam. The court’s latest decision offers Allahbadia a chance to resume his professional engagements internationally, albeit with ongoing legal oversight.