New Delhi: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology may consider writing a letter to the central government to bring stronger laws on regulation of content, including amendments to existing laws, to punish offenders such as YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia.
The committee held its meeting on Thursday, and discussed the issue of ‘India’s Got Latent’ and remarks made during the show. Officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting were also present in the meeting. The committee members raised the matter related to Ranveer Allahbadia’s crass comments and demanded that strict action must be taken to prevent such incidents in the future. Sources said that the parliamentary panel is mulling to make recommendation that the laws around digital content be made stringent.
What Priyanka Chaturvedi, Naresh Mhaske said
On Monday, reacting sharply to the row over Allahbadia’s inappropriate remarks, made on ‘India’s Got Latent’, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who is a member of the Standing Committee on IT, had said that she would take up the issue with the panel.
Taking to X, she said, “I will be raising the issue regarding the show called India’s Got Latent as a member in the standing committee of IT& Communication for the kind of vulgar, blasphemous content that is passed off as comedy. We need to set boundaries since these platforms influence young minds and they are passing off absolute rubbish as content. The language used by Ranveer Allahabadia which was also actively encouraged by others on that ‘comedy panel’ is unacceptable.”
Naresh Mhaske, an MP from the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena, pointed out that the issue had broader backing, stating that content creators are exploiting the lack of censorship on online platforms.
Addressing the Lok Sabha, Mhaske had said that a specific norm must be framed against this. “Ranveer Allahbadia made wrong comments about mothers and fathers. They are trying to ruin our culture and tradition. In the name of democracy, they are making wrong remarks. There is no censor on OTT platforms.”
What’s the controversy
Allahbadia had asked a contestant on comedian Samay Raina’s show ‘India’s Got Latent’: “Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever.”
The clip went viral, sparking widespread condemnation and outrage. Allahbadia later tendered an apology in a video, saying, “My comment was not only inappropriate, but it wasn’t even funny. Comedy is not my strength, and I’m here just to apologise.” Samay Raina also pulled down all episodes of ‘India’s Got Latent’ after several complaints were filed against the show and its contestants.
