"Why Just Ranveer, Apoorva?" Anupam Mittal Calls To Summon YouTube Over India's Got Latent Row

Nearly two weeks after Ranveer Allahbadia's crass remarks on a show caused nationwide outrage, entrepreneur Anupam Mittal said the YouTuber-podcaster wasn't the only one to be blamed. The Shark Tank India investor, in a detailed LinkedIn post, condemned the offensive statements but argued that social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram should also share responsibility for the content they host.

"Summon YouTube to the High Court too, why just Ranveer (Allahbadia) and Apoorva (Mukhija)?" Mr Mittal wrote.

Mr Mittal did not defend the remarks, saying they were "messy, crass, and undeniably wrong" as well as "totally unacceptable in any civilised society." But he questioned why the focus was solely on the individuals involved, while YouTube - the platform that amplifies such content - was not being scrutinised.

Drawing a comparison, the Shaadi.com CEO pointed out that India's Got Latent was never meant to be a serious discussion forum like Satyamev Jayate - a socially conscious talk show hosted by Aamir Khan that tackled issues like child abuse, gender inequality, and corruption with depth and sensitivity. Instead, Samay Raina's show thrived on "insults, vulgarity, irreverence and shock."

He argued that digital platforms like YouTube and Instagram incentivise creators to push limits. The more outrageous the content, the greater the reward in visibility and engagement.

"When one extreme becomes the norm, what does the algorithm do? Promotes the next level of obscenity," he wrote, adding that while Mr Allahbadia and others have apologised, simply punishing them misses the real issue.

Mr Mittal also raised concerns about the lack of regulation protecting young audiences from explicit content. He shared his experience with YouTube's parental controls, criticising the platform for still serving inappropriate material to children.

"Are our laws actually protecting young minds from explicit content? Why aren't we holding platforms accountable for what they serve up? How is it that kids can still access far worse content with zero guardrails?" he asked. He further accused Big Tech of hiding behind intermediary laws that shield them from responsibility.

"Imagine a newspaper or TV channel publishing the type of content these platforms carry with total impunity. It would lead to a mutiny," he concluded.

He said, "Ranveer, Apoorva, Samay et all are actually victims caught in an endless cycle of provocation for their relevance and survival."

The backlash began when a clip of Mr Allahbadia and influencer Apoorva Mukhija's vulgar and inappropriate remarks from comedian Samay Raina's show India's Got Latent went viral. The fallout has been severe. Mr Allahbadia has been slapped with multiple FIRs, Ms Mukhija has since received death threats and online abuse, while show host Mr Raina has deleted all episodes of India's Got Latent from YouTube.

Multiple FIRs have been filed against Mr Allahbadia in different states for his obscene comments. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has summoned Mr Allahbadia, Mr Raina, Ms Mukhija, Jaspreet Singh, Ashish Chanchlani, and the show's producers, Tushar Poojari and Saurabh Bothra, for their "derogatory and racist" remarks.

The hearing before the NCW has been rescheduled for March 6 and 11, after Mr Allahbadia, Ms Mukhija, and Mr Raina failed to appear, citing safety concerns and prior commitments.

The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has also issued a summon, with legal action currently underway.

Ranveer Allahbadia approached the Supreme Court to consolidate multiple FIRs filed against him. While granting him interim protection from arrest, the court directed him to deposit his passport, cooperate with the investigation, and ruled that no further FIRs would be registered against him for the same remarks.