Mumbai – The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has rejected comedian Samay Raina’s request to record his statement via video conferencing in connection with the controversy surrounding the show India’s Got Latent. Raina, who is currently in the United States for his stand-up comedy tour, had appealed through his lawyer that he would not be able to return to India before March 17 due to prior commitments. However, the Cyber Cell officials insisted that he must appear in person to record his statement on February 18, a Tuesday.
The controversy erupted after the show came under intense scrutiny following a comment made by YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia in its latest episode. Allahbadia asked a contestant an objectionable question, “Would you rather watch your parents have sex for the rest of your life, or would you join in once and stop it forever?” Both Samay Raina and Apoorva Mukhija were seen laughing at the remark, and the episode included several instances of abusive language. The incident sparked outrage online, with many accusing the creators of promoting obscenity and vulgarity.
In response to the backlash, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell registered an FIR against Samay Raina, Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva Mukhija, and others, accusing them of promoting inappropriate content. Despite the ongoing investigation, Raina’s plea for video conferencing was denied.
On February 12, Samay Raina addressed the controversy for the first time, breaking his silence with a statement on social media. He stated that he had removed all India’s Got Latent videos from his YouTube channel, emphasizing that his intention was always to make people laugh and have a good time. “Everything that is 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,” Raina wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
