Elvish Yadav: Relief for Elvish Yadav from the Supreme Court; issues this order in the snake venom case.

YouTuber and Bigg Boss OTT winner Elvish Yadav has received significant relief from the Supreme Court. The Court has quashed the ongoing criminal proceedings against him in a case related to the trafficking and consumption of snake venom.

What did the Court say?

A bench comprising Justice M. Suresh and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh observed that there were procedural flaws in the manner in which the FIR was registered. It further stated that, in the eyes of the law, these irregularities could not be deemed valid.

Elvish Yadav had approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash the charge sheet filed against him and the summons issued in connection with this case.

The High Court had dismissed the petition.

In May of last year, the Allahabad High Court had dismissed his petition. The Court had observed that a thorough legal scrutiny of the allegations was necessary, given that multiple FIRs had been registered in this matter.

What is the case about?

It is pertinent to note that, in the FIR registered in Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar), Elvish Yadav was charged under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act. The First Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar had also issued a summons to Elvish Yadav.

Yadav had challenged the charge sheet and the proceedings on the grounds that the complainant was not an authorized person to register an FIR under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. He argued that neither any snake nor any narcotic or psychotropic substance was recovered from the applicant’s possession.

Attempt to sensationalize the case

In his petition, Elvish Yadav argued: “It is a matter of common knowledge that the applicant is an influential personality who appears in numerous reality shows on television. Consequently, the inclusion of the applicant’s name in this FIR drew significant media attention towards him. As a result—influenced by this media coverage—police officials attempted to further sensationalize the case by invoking several additional sections immediately after arresting the applicant.”