Ranveer Allahbadia Row: India's Got Latent host Samay Raina’s plea for virtual statement rejected by Maharashtra cyber cell

Popular stand-up comedian Samay Raina, who is currently on his international tour, requested the authorities to allow him to record his statement via video conference, which has been declined.

By Shaibalina Choudhury

Updated on Feb 17, 2025 | 02:39 PM IST | 34.2K

(PC: Samay Raina Instagram)

Samay Raina, the popular stand-up comedian, famous for his jokes and performances, is under the public eye for all the wrong reasons. Since last week, he along with a few panelists of his show, India's Got Latent; Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva Mukhija, Ashish Chanchlani, Jasprit Singh and the show organizers are facing legal charges. The latest development in the case is that Samay's plea for an online statement record has been rejected.

YouTuber and stand-up comedian Samay Raina has been asked to appear in person for questioning in connection with the ongoing Ranveer Allahbadia case. The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has rejected his request to record a statement via video conferencing, as he is currently outside India. According to ANI, Raina had requested remote recording, citing his absence from the country. However, the Cyber Cell refused, insisting that he must be physically present. He has now been summoned to appear on February 18 to record his statement.

Read ANI's tweet below:

Raina is among the individuals being questioned as part of the larger probe involving Ranveer Allahbadia, who has been under scrutiny over his indecent remarks on India's Got Latent. Ever since the controversy erupted, Raina has been away from the public eye owing to his tour in the United States and Canada. He requested time till March 17 to return to the country.

Meanwhile, a few days back, the comedian took to his official Instagram handle and issued his first statement, "Everything that has been happening has been too much for me to handle. I have removed all India's Got Latent videos from my channel. My only objective was to make people laugh and have a good time. I will fully cooperate with all agencies to ensure their inquiries are concluded fairly. Thank you”.

The case sparked intense debate, with some questioning whether certain influencers are being unfairly targeted. Gaurav Taneja is one of the YouTubers who questioned the extended involvement of law in the controversy. He mentioned that Ranveer Allahbadia aka BeerBiceps has been unfairly targeted by the authorities.